Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4 Directors ............................................................................................................................. 5 Aims and Method of this Report ....................................................................................... 5 Facilities and Services at Yebo Art Gallery ...................................................................... 6 Social Responsibility .......................................................................................................... 7 Overview of Exhibitions .................................................................................................... 9 Exhibitions Review ............................................................................................................ 11 Artists .................................................................................................................................. 12 Artist Questionnaire ........................................................................................................... 13 Local Actors ........................................................................................................................ 17 Organisations Questionnaire ............................................................................................. 18 Challenges ........................................................................................................................... 23 Achievements ...................................................................................................................... 24 Current Situation and Way Forward ................................................................................ 25
Introduction
Yebo art gallery was founded in January 2011 by Peter, Dane and Aleta Armstrong. The gallery is located in Ezulwini, one of Swaziland's prime commercial and tourism hotspots. It boasts two shopping centres, casinos, a nature reserve, hotels, lodges and many restaurants. Ezulwini is currently experiencing a boom in construction which is changing the tourism landscape as more businesses are relocating to the valley. Historically, the valley has been at the centre of political and cultural activity, housing the parliament, national museum and King's memorial. The valley also hosts the annual Reed Dance and Incwala ceremonies, attracting visitors interested in the traditions of Swazi Culture. It was a strategic decision therefore to locate Yebo in Ezulwini. The art gallery would (i) profit from tourists staying in the area or passing through, (ii) be able to engage in partnerships with the hospitality and crafts industry in the region and (iii) benefit from a diverse and potentially open-minded audience. The valley's aforementioned international allure could, moreover, allow the gallery to improve Swaziland's art credentials abroad. Although Yebo art gallery is at bottom a commercial project, its mandate is very much in line with that of public institutions involved in the arts. At the heart of its mission lies the desire to grow and promote contemporary art in Swaziland, a sector which has received little or no attention from local actors. Business, government and NGOs favour the crafts industry, which produces familiar and therefore readily saleable objects. Yebo, on the other hand, was born of a desire to separate art from crafts by providing it with the requisite means of presentation. As the first fully operative contemporary art gallery in Swaziland, Yebo had to create a market from scratch. That meant it had to educate not only the public but the artists themselves. Various initiatives were launched, including (but not limited to) a residency program, art workshops and a small but comprehensive reference library. The artists involved in these programs have full access to Yebo's facilities and expertise. They are perpetually coached on topics ranging from technique and choice of subject matter to the commercial aspects of art production. Yebo art gallery is acutely aware of the responsibility it carries as a pioneer in Swaziland's nascent art sector. To the extent that art can be regarded as a public good, a gallery fulfils a public function. This holds true especially if, in a given region, access to contemporary art is restricted. In this respect Yebo assumes the role of a museum. It documents, catalogues and displays the output of some of Swaziland's most promising artists. It also curates themed exhibitions which appeal to a wide audience. In short, Yebo fulfils a beacon role: it leads by example, hoping to motivate potential actors and make Swazi art into a success story.
Directors
Peter Armstrong is a Swazi with vast experience in the art world. He studied fine art in South Africa and the UK, after which he worked for six years at Mantenga Craft running the screen-printing department. In 1985 he and Aleta set up a successful screen-printing and design company, Armstrong Artworks, which employed over 30 people. Pete is also a sculptor and has created numerous commissioned pieces. He worked for several years as an art teacher at the Waterford Kamhlaba international school. Aleta Armstrong was born in Finland, grew up in Tanzania, Swaziland, Botswana and Denmark and moved to Swaziland with her family in 1984. She created a successful range of designs under the name African Fantasy and set up two unique and successful shops in Swaziland in 1990. She also worked for four years as a journalist with local and South African media houses. In 2000 she and Pete set up Guava Art College, a free art school that assisted unemployed Swazis in art training and marketing. Aleta was project manager of Indlu Finlandia Design and Training centre for 3 years. She then worked as a freelance consultant and designer. Dane Armstrong was born and raised in Swaziland, returning home in 2009 after having studied and worked abroad for eight years, completing two degrees in business and economics in Finland and Holland. He works on the general operations and design of Yebo as well as the marketing and communications aspects, such as the website and other media. He is a keen artist, focusing on photography and mixed media, and will be working as the facilitator of the ArtReach program that Yebo will be initiating in 2012.
Swaziland National Council of Arts & Culture, UNESCO, U.S. Embassy, Arterial Network, Limkokwing University). The results of these questionnaires can be found in the sections on Artists and Local actors at the end of the report. Finally, it must be noted that the views and opinions put forward in this report cannot be separated from the views of Yebo's directors. As such, this review does not strive to present a cross section of the Swazi art industry. Rather the writers together with Yebo's directors have identified a number of points that, they think, merit the attention of those interested in developing the Swazi art sector. There is of course much more to be said about problems of infrastructure and arts management as they present themselves to actors on a daily basis. Also when it comes to suggestions about improvements this report is far from comprehensive. However, the method of sourcing information from local artists and actors through interviews and questionnaires has proved fruitful. Those interested in the opinions of local actors are encouraged to consult the sections on Artists and Local Actors at the end of the report.
Lessons are taught by Peter Armstrong. Drawing lessons and model painting taught by Aleta Armstrong. Mosaic classes, teaching groups and individuals how to effectively and cheaply mosaic large spaces or small items using broken tiles and other recycled materials. Taught by Dane Armstrong. Two large exhibition rooms: one for themed exhibitions, the other for the permanent collection. The rooms are exceptionally rented out to individual artists for solo shows or collaborative projects. An art reference library is available for artists to use for inspiration and research. This facility has been an important resource for many Swazi artists. It also fills a gap in public service provision as most libraries in Swaziland hold a limited number of art books. An art shop carrying general art materials and tools, a selection of locally produced handicrafts as well as products made and designed by Yebo, including screen-printed cloth, T-shirts and ceramics. The Yebo art shop also supplies organisations and schools with bulk orders and specials discounts are given to local artists. A website which displays and catalogues the gallery's activities. The website makes it possible to purchase art works online and provides detailed information about exhibiting artists, upcoming events and news items. Yebo has also teamed up with FedEx who ship work for clients, door to door. The website will eventually operate as a portal for the arts in Swaziland, with information about artists, photos, catalogues, events and relevant reports.
Social Responsibility
In February Yebo Art Gallery initiated a social responsibility program (SRP) meant to promote art production through mentorship and training. The program included free training and use of Yebo facilities for six Swazi artists. The main idea was to create an environment conducive to artistic creation. It was therefore decided to keep the program open-ended rather than give it a definite structure. Artists worked on projects independently but were encouraged to experiment with materials and try new ideas. Tools of all kinds were available for use and access to the workspace was granted freely. Because the SRP took place on the Yebo premises, artists could easily engage each other in discussion. They also had the opportunity to meet customers and receive commissioned work as a result. This project worked successfully for 5 months.
Unfortunately the program then began to implode. Artists' incapacity to pay for transport made it impossible for them to make a regular appearance. Moreover, the financial crisis in Swaziland started to escalate and affect the arts. The directors also detected a general sense of defeatism when sales did not take off immediately; artists did not seem to understand how much ground work needed to be covered and that instant success is rare. The reason for the failure of the program is therefore twofold. Lack of funds on the one hand; and an idealised understanding of what it is to be an artist on the other. Lack of money ultimately affects creativity as well. For example, it is possible that an artist is unable to carry through a project because he or she cannot afford the required materials. To counteract this Yebo has sometimes stepped in to pay for the work in advance. In such cases the work was thus commissioned by the gallery and subsequently put on display. This is a service exceptionally made available to artists who are known to Yebo's directors. Yebo also assists up and coming artists with advice on pricing and marketing as well as the administrative aspects of their profession, including pricing and contract mechanisms. Yebo's directors want artists to understand the value of their work so they will not be short-changed. Some artists have previously sold work cheaply to galleries and were not in charge of the final purchasing price. At Yebo artists decide on the price themselves. Besides the SRP Yebo Art Gallery allocates space to up and coming artists in their monthly art shows in an effort to reduce existing barriers to entry into the Swazi art market. This provides up-and-coming artists with an outlet and opportunity to reach a wide audience. Naturally, artists are not expected to pay upfront fees to exhibit their work. In case something sells, a commission of 32 percent is withheld on the purchasing price.
Overview of Exhibitions
Yebo Art Gallery has hosted seven exhibitions until now.
1. 26 February 2 April:
For its first show Yebo wanted to involve as many artists, mediums and themes as possible in order to hit the ground running. The theme Year of the Rabbit was chosen because the exhibition coincided with the commencement of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, which was also, coincidentally, Yebos logo. The show featured Paintings, Sculptures, Drawings, Pottery & Photographs by the following local artists: