Archive: Issue No. 40, December 2000
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This is a free space for the exchange of information of general interest to artists. ArtThrob reserves the right to edit contributions.
I am looking to purchase an etching press, of any size, either second hand or new. Contact Lyndi Sales greenscene@intekom.co.za
05.12.00 Call for New Media Artists JavaMuseum - Forum for Internet Technologies in Contemporary Art is happy to launch its first project '1st of JAVA - Perspectives on New Media'. Artists are invited to submit their works (URLs) in the following categories: Flash, Quicktime, HTML, VRML, Java, Javascript, DHTML or Miscellanous (technologies which do not fit in these aforementioned categories, for example, by requiring an uncommon plug-in). In the categories Flash and Quicktime, work can also be movies submitted via email (.swf and .mov files no larger than 2MB). The project has no particular theme or subject, but intends instead to represent a snapshot of current work being produced using Internet technologies. The project will form the basis of other upcoming projects to be realized. From 2001 on, there will be monthly changing online shows of featured projects and artists. The Call for Artists, the submission form and listings are published on JavaMuseum site www.javamuseum.de. JavaMuseum - Forum for Internet Technologies in Contemporary Art realizes projects related to Art and Technology in cooperation, either online or in a combination and exchange between the virtual level of the Internet and a physically real exhibition environment. The organisation forms part of NewmediaArtprojectNetwork - Le Musée di-visioniste. For more information, email Wilfried Agricola de Cologne info@javamuseum.de
05.12.00 Proposals for next Soft Serve The next Soft Serve is called 'Softsell', and it looks at advertising and branding. It takes place on Friday February 2 at the South African National Gallery in Cape Town. Artists should start thinking about - and researching - these issues so that the work they make is intelligent and cleverly positioned. We are keen to hear ideas while they're still in the messy, not-quite-worked-out phase, but would also love to hear any ideas that are fully-formed. Artists may be asked to make work that is actually branded - that refers to a particular brand - because actual brands are providing the funding for the project. We will only know much closer to the event who these brands are going to be, and we won't have much control over who they are, so artists may need to be prepared to make quick links between their ideas, and a particular brand. Please also come up with ideas for works that aren't branded - or that can't be branded. We will need both kinds of work. If it's at all possible, start thinking about what media you want to work in, what you think about advertising, branding, and the relationship between these and art - and the relationship between these three and contemporary life. We would prefer work that is not simplistically either pro- or anti-business. Any ideas you have about any of this stuff, or any websites, references, recommended books, art precedents, etc., please also let us know about as quickly as possible so that we can chew over it. The sooner you get in touch with ideas for new work (preferably first-ideas, badly written, not-fully-worked-out), the better. You don't have to be an artist to send in writing and reflections on all of this. Just jot down anything you're thinking, worried about, critical of, excited by, etc. - that has to do with the project - and art, branding and advertising - and send it to us so that we know what's going on "out there". Email Andrew Putter andrewputter@hotmail.com
05.12.00 2000 Business Day/BASA Awards for Business-Arts Partnerships BASA are seeking entrants for the 4th annual Business Day/BASA awards for innovative and successful sponsorship of the arts. All businesses, large or small, which are supporting the arts in cash or in kind are invited to enter. The awards focus on sponsorship of events, projects or organisations during the period January 1 to December 31 2000, and demonstrate how the arts offer a viable and effective communications tool for business while simultaneously raising the profile of the arts in this country. It appears that sponsorship spend is growing annually, and with arts and culture forming part of the 'entertainment sector', BASA is working to convince the corporate sector that such support can "offer real opportunities for business to reach their target markets and address philanthropic objectives." Award categories include: Best use of a commission of new art; first time sponsor; increasing access to the arts; international sponsorship; long term development; single project; sponsorship by a small business; sponsorship in kind; strategic sponsorship; and youth sponsorship. The big prize is the Chairman's Award for sustained excellence, made at the discretion of BASA's Chairman. A judging panel, comprised of professionals from the business and arts sectors, will evaluate the success of each sponsorship in achieving the objectives of the sponsor and in bringing genuine benefits to the arts organization and surrounding community. Factors such as the innovative nature of the sponsorship will also be taken into account. All businesses that have sponsored any arts organization, project or event, in any discipline or disciplines (visual and performing arts, music, theatre, dance, literature, poetry, festival, film, etc.) are eligible to enter. In cases of multiple sponsorship of a single event, all sponsors are eligible to enter. The nomination/entry form may be completed by the sponsoring company and/or the arts organization, except in the Strategic Sponsorship category which must be completed by the business itself. Sponsoring companies may be entered in a maximum of two categories. Contact Business and Arts South Africa for more information and nomination/entry forms at telephone 011 784 9994 or fax 011 784 9996, or email. The closing date for entries is 28 February 2001.
05.12.00 Cape Town's Community Arts Project appeals for help Dear Friend of CAP: CAP's end-of-year exhibition, 'Ndingubani? Ungubani? Singobani? Questions of Identity', opened and closed at the South African National Gallery to great acclaim, highlighting the talents of emerging artists from the CAP visual arts programme. If you attended the exhibition, you have a sense of the diversity and strength of the work coming out of CAP, and the potential each artist has to realize his or her vision of becoming a success. Their success, however, depends on the support they receive from the larger community. There are two ways you can nurture young artists as well as help with the continuing work of CAP. First, there is a limited number of unframed prints still available at R100, as well as framed prints for R250, original paintings for R400, and ceramic plates for R125. Greeting cards depicting each print are available for R30 for a pack of 7; small gift cards are available for R12 for a pack of 7, and are perfect for the holidays. If you are interested in seeing work, please visit CAP any time between now and December 7. CAP will be closed for the holidays, re-opening on January 8, 2001. Second, you can make a donation to CAP. Your financial support is vital to CAP's ability to provide low-cost performing and visual arts education for emerging township artists. CAP provides materials, daily transportation and rigorous full and part time art classes to all our students. Students pay under R800 per year in fees for the full time programme, and have the option of performing community service in exchange for their education. In 2000, CAP's expenses incurred in running the programme amounted to nearly R10,000 per student. In order to achieve our goal of providing low-cost, equal opportunity arts education, CAP needs your participation. Sponsor a student, donate funds for materials, contribute towards train tickets. Any contribution will be of value. Again, thank you for your belief in the work of the Community Arts Project. Together, we will help ensure that the arts in South Africa are open to all.
Sincerely,
Yes, I would like to participate in the CAP community. Enclosed is my donation for:
Please make cheques payable to: Community Arts Project
Mailing Address:
Details for electronic or direct payments: CAP is an 18(a) organisation - all contributions are tax-deductible.
28.11.00 Position offered at School of Journalism and Mass Communication The University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication, in the College of the Liberal Arts, is pleased to invite applications and nominations for up to four new full-time, nine-month, tenure-track positions, beginning August 27, 2001. Rank will range from beginning to advanced Assistant Professor. These positions are an integral part of a major New Media Initiative using legislative and private funds as well as college resources to further strengthen this highly respected school. The goal of the New Media Initiative is to build the nation's preeminent programme in communication education, research and practice that will provide students with the best possible academic and professional education for entry into diverse careers in the rapidly changing communications industry. The school's facilities have been completely remodeled with state-of-the-art equipment and an Institute for New Media Studies which opened in July. All applicants are expected to have academic and/or professional interests and experience in new media. Representative examples of new media specialties include digital graphics and publication design; integrated communications management; digital editing; electronic journalism, and, digital photojournalism. The specific positions which the University is seeking to fill at this time are the following: Professional Journalism: The University seeks individuals with the talent and commitment to develop a new generation of journalists who are confident in using and stretching the communication potential of new technologies. Visual Communication: The University seeks individuals with the background and commitment to train students in digital message design across multiple media. Experience in videography is preferred. Public Relations: The University seeks individuals with a background and commitment to train students in creating written messages across multiple media and to become skilled at integrated communications management. Successful applicants will have a demonstrated promise of scholarly and/or professional distinction; evidence of teaching effectiveness or strong promise of excellence in teaching, and, a terminal degree or equivalent qualifications such as an established, national or international professional career. Holders of these positions will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate professional skills courses, to develop strong ties to the professional community, to conduct scholarly work and to serve on appropriate committees. Significant professional experience is a plus. To apply, send a cover letter describing interest in the position, a current resumé or curriculum vitae, and letters of evaluation from three references, to be mailed directly to the search committee. Preference will be given to those applications postmarked by October 6, 2000. Nevertheless, there are six positions to fill and applications will be considered until these are filled.
Send applications to:
21.11.00 Nominate an Artist for the FNB Vita Art Prize 2001! FNB Vita and the Sandton Civic Art Gallery are once again inviting the public to nominate an artist/s who exhibited work between January and December 2000, to be commissioned for the prestigious FNB Vita Art Prize 2001, which takes place in July/August 2001. The aim of the FNB Vita Art Prize is to promote interest and provoke debate around South African contemporary art. Any person, who thinks they have seen work that deserves acknowledgement, can nominate their choice, which will then come into the running. A panel of judges will, after reviewing and considering all nominations, draw up a short list of a maximum of six artists. These artists will be commissioned to produce new work for the FNB Vita Art Prize and Exhibition 2001 to be held at the Sandton Civic Gallery in July/August 2001. The winner of the FNB Vita Contemporary Artist of the Year Award will receive a cheque to the value of R35,000. If you would like to have a say in who should be a FNB Vita Art Prize 2001 nominee and want to find out where to collect a nomination form, contact FNB Vita Awards at 011 442 8435. Closing date for nominations is January 31, 2001. Issued by FNB Vita Awards : Telephone 011 442 8435/fax 011 442 8523/ email fnbvita@mweb.co.za
14.11.00 Photographs of South African Children I am the picture editor of the German children's magazine GEOlino, which is part of the GEO group (the equivalent of National Geographic). The magazine is aimed at children from the ages of 7 to 15 years. GEOlino is now going to be published on a monthly basis. Therefore, we are always looking for good children's stories from all around the world and reportages by professional photographers about children or issues related to children. We would greatly appreciate any offers or proposals along these lines. We are also always looking for individual pictures of children in Europe and other parts of the world for our section "Menschenskinder" (Children of the World). This introduces children who have done or experienced something special, or who live in surroundings/ cultures that children in Germany might know little about, in order to allow the readers to get an insight into the lives and realities of other kids. The pictures have to reveal something about the surroundings of the children and we (ideally) need the names and ages of the subjects, as well as a little story (really short) to accompany the picture. Having lived in South Africa last year, I found a lot to be said about the lives of children in South Africa and a lot of talented photographers whose work should be shown. Important for us is a professional standard and interesting stories. If you are interested in showing work, please contact me.
Tina Ahrens
GEOlino picture editor/ Tina Ahrens
14.11.00 Funded Three Month Residency at Greatmore Studios Greatmore Studios has received full funding from the National Arts Council of South Africa Trust for two artists to participate in a three month residency next year. The funding will cover all expenses such as accommodation, studio rental, exhibition, administration, per diems. The only cost which is not covered is your travel to and from Cape Town and the only stipulation is that the applicant should be South African. Applications close on January 8, 2001 and a decision will be made within the same week.
Contact Alex at Greatmore (021) 447-9699 Take note that the studio office will be closed during December 2000.
14.11.00 National Aids Billboard Initiative The Artists for Human Rights Trust Projects Committee has launched a National Billboard Initiative, promoting an anti HIV/ Aids message. This has been made possible by the support of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Health. During July this year, three billboards were erected in the greater Durban area - in Kwa-Mashu, Claremont and Umlazi. More recently a billboard has been installed on Harrow Road in Johannesburg with assistance from the MTN Arts Institute. Others will be erected as soon as adequate funds are available. The aims and intentions of the project are simple: We intend to use visual art as a medium to initiate a national campaign to intensify awareness of HIV/ Aids and more importantly to transform the stigma surrounding the disease. The Billboard Initiative involves the use of print images produced by both local and international artists on the theme of "Breaking the Silence". The Artists for Human Rights Trust Projects Committee, in association with the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, the National Arts Council Trust and the Technikon Natal, invite you or your organisation to participate in the initiative. We see this as a unique and effective way to enhance a company's corporate image and to address corporate social responsibility. The same applies to participating artists. For further information contact the Project Administrator, Ms. Asiya Swaleh on 27 - 31 - 204-2866 or email fineart@umfolozi.ntech.ac.za Deadline for artists' submissions is January 30, 2001.
14.11.00 International Digital Art Award (IDAA) in Australia seeks entries The ArtistsOwnRegistry and Gallery (AOR) will host the world's first on-line International Digital Art Award and exhibition. It will be the first definitive collection of work presented by some of the hottest and most creative digital artists who have captivated an international audience from fine art museums to corporate advertising. There is no charge to enter and no limits in terms of content. Digital visual work from across the media scope of graphic design, digital illustration, computer generated fine art, digital photography, image manipulation, 3D, web graphics, editorial and corporate design, fonts and typography, logotypes are all welcome. Entry is via email only, and files must be jpegs no larger than 100 KB's. Maximum of five works per entrant only. Include you name, email & web address (if applicable), title, short description (no more than 25 words per work), category (include client name if applicable) and name of software. One hundred images will be selected by a board of jurors to be exhibited on AOR for six months. The on-line exhibition will begin March 2001. Send entries to Steve Danzig IDAA Director. Successful short-list entrants will be notified. Deadline for entries is January 15, 2001 and the exhibition closes on September 15, 2001. For more information, check out http://absolutearts.com/cgi-bin/news/elaborate.cgi?find=2237
14.11.00 Second Annual International Festival of Time-Based Media seeks entries The 'Art in Motion' festival, presented by the University of Southern California School of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Santa Monica Museum of Art, takes place between February 15 - 17, 2001 on the university's campus and at the museum simultaneously. Unlike other media venues and film festivals which are often curated or organised around a central theme, the only criterion for work submitted to this festival is that it is time-based, although the event aims to critique the notion of individual authorship in the face of technological endeavour and possibility. New media technologies have in one sense destabilised or even destroyed the notion of the individual artist-genius, while on the other hand, shifted focus back to this issue in a way that reinvents the arguments. It's not simply about deconstruction, but a sideways reconstruction. As the festival organisers state: "The consequent fluidity is forcing a rupture and reassessment of our perceptions of authority, self, meaning, value and originality that is radically impacting cultural, social, political, economic, and legal interactions." Entries may address the festival theme directly or indirectly. Any work produced after October 1,1998, in time-based media (which includes film, video, digital video, animation, sound pieces, digital media, CD-ROMs, websites, installations and performances - and, as they say, "all hybrids are welcome") are eligible for submission. Entries are free - details and printable entry forms can be found on the AIM II website at www.usc.edu/aim or requested from aim@usc.edu.
14.11.00 Fourth Edition of the MEDIA SAVE ART Award This award is an international press competition for articles dealing with the preservation of cultural heritage - a contentious and often agenda-inflected area in South Africa. Thus far, no South Africans have featured as award-winners, yet the raw material provided by the South African context is the stuff that writer's dreams are made of. Two prizes of US$ 4,000 will be made, to the author of the best article and the best series of articles respectively. The biennial competition is administered by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), an intergovernmental organisation created by UNESCO in 1959. An international jury of professionals from the world of media, conservation and culture will select the winners in each category. Only five entries from each individual may be submitted and the criteria are as follows:
1. Deal with the theme of safeguarding cultural heritage (deterioration, preservation, conservation, and restoration). Cultural heritage is understood as comprising museums, archives, libraries, monuments, historic and archaeological sites;
ICCROM - MEDIA SAVE ART Request the registration form to the above address. For further info in South Africa please email bernfried@kingsley.co.za
07.11.00 Cape Town Studio Space Working space is available in the newly renovated All Star Studio, a large communal space run as an artists' cooperative in Woodstock. Close to town, 24 hour security and access, kitchen, fax and photocopying facilities, and a congenial working atmosphere. From R325 per month. Phone 462 2095 o.h. or email suewill@iafrica.com.
03.10.00 Dark Matter II: Call for Submissions Dark Matter II: Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora is an international literary anthology to be edited by Sheree R. Thomas, and for this, submissions are invited.
Guidelines for Submissions The science fiction and fantasy genres have always offered readers bold, extraordinary ways to examine society. The results have often been visionary, with writers acting as unflinching voyeurs who deliver engaging, sometimes scathing critiques of our traditions, values, nightmares, and dreams. Through speculative fiction, writers posit alternative ways by which to measure our lives and offer fascinating prisms through which to consider our mortality. A well executed work of speculative fiction is at once a reflection and a distortion. It is an extrapolation where all that can be imagined is able to co-exist on the page: the past, the present, and the future -or, what may never be. In the past, it was thought that black writers had few speculative visions to offer the world, but as technology and rapidly changing demographics hurl us closer to tomorrow, more black writers are adding their voices, daring to engage themselves with the business of our future. What if we can create, for ourselves and others, worlds crafted from the foundations of dreams we imagine, peopled by the souls of s/heroes who walk in our image, who live and love and evolve on our terms? What if, indeed. Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora (Warner Aspect, hardcover, July 2000) was the result of these questions. As the first collection dedicated to speculative fiction by black writers, this landmark anthology united the works of established, emerging and new authors and received much critical acclaim. Dark Matter II will continue this groundbreaking work by introducing new writers from throughout the African Diaspora, including an additional selection of critical essays illuminating the contributions of black writers to speculative fiction and the role of black speculative visions in the Afrodiasporic literary canon. Content (Fiction): Write what you will - whether it is humorous, erotic, horrific, political, or whatever you imagine. I am seeking original short stories, bold voices unafraid to imagine themselves and the many forms of blackness across the boundaries of time, space, and convention. Familiarity with the preceding book is recommended, although as with the first volume, there are no specific "thematic" requirements. Dark Matter II welcomes black writers from throughout the African Diaspora. Content: (Essays): The first volume of Dark Matter concluded with several original essays and re-prints discussing black speculative fiction. For example, Samuel R. Delany wrote about "Racism and Science Fiction." Charles R. Saunders discussed "Why Blacks Should Read (and Write) Science Fiction." Walter Mosley discussed his long love of the genre and his hopes for an "explosion" of black speculative fictions in "Black to the Future." Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky offered a hypertext entitled "Yet Do I Wonder," discussing the intersection between science fiction and DJ culture. Octavia E. Butler had the last word in "The Monophobic Response," when she questioned society's age-old impulse to "create aliens." I would like to continue these discussions with other works that illuminate the contributions of black folk to the speculative fiction genre. Length: I suggest approximately 1500-8500 words; however, I am flexible on this point. Outstanding work will not be returned simply because it exceeds or falls below this guideline. Do what you must to tell your story well. Format: Two copies, double-spaced on white paper with standard 1" (2,5 cm) margins. Include a bio and a photo of yourself. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. If you would like confirmation of receipt, then please add a self-addressed postcard or send your material by certified mail. Please do not send your only copy, as I cannot be responsible for lost work. Multiple submissions are accepted. Incomplete submissions will be returned. Don't: Send previously published work or poetry at this time. Do: Send your best work(s). Deadline: Monday, April 30, 2001. Warner Aspect Books will publish the anthology in hardcover in 2002. I strongly recommend that you submit your work early, rather than late, when most of the slots will be filled and there would be less time to work with you on revisions. Terms: Monetary payment will be offered to those writers whose work is selected for publication. The fees to contributors begin at $250 US. Contributors will share royalties with the editor. About the editor: Sheree R. Thomas is the editor of Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction of the African Diaspora (Warner Aspect, July 2000), the first collection of speculative fiction by black writers. She is also the co-publisher of the literary journal, Anansi: Fiction of the African Diaspora. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in a number of literary publications, including Alicubi, Breathe, Drumvoices Revue, Ishmael Reed's KONCH magazine, mélange: journal of the written arts, Obsidian III: Literature of the African Diaspora, and Voices: The Wisconsin Review of African Literatures. Contact Sheree Thomas at esmarth@banet.net or 765 Amsterdam Avenue 3C, NYC, 10025, USA
A study at the confluence of arts and sciences Olats/Virtual Africa (http://www.olats.org/africa/avva.shtml), in collaboration with the River Festival announce the launching of a multicultural and interdisciplinary three-year project focused on the cultural and scientific contexts of water entitled 'The Spirit and Power of Water'. Water has always held a privileged place in the history of humans' imagination and artistic creation. In Africa, like anywhere else in the world, water is very often seen as a living substance inhabited by spirits, by supernatural beings that humans have imagined to explain natural phenomena and some aspects of the human condition. Around this ambivalent and extraordinary world inherent in water, some myths, legends, fairytales and ritual religious practices have crystallized. It's on the basis of these quasi-universal cultural representations, associating water with spirituality, wonder, and with imagination, that a series of art exhibitions and workshops will be organized on-line and eventually off-line. They will allow the examination of the various cultural and artistic representations linked to water, in Africa as well as on the other continents. Artists whose work is/has been inspired by the water theme are strongly encouraged to participate in this special event. All media and artistic trends will be represented. Most of all, 'The Spirit and Power of Water' should be considered as the starting point of an aesthetic study on water. For, water, as the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard wrote, has its own aesthetic characteristics, its own imagination, just like fire, air and earth. A selection of artworks and articles will be equally published in the American arts and sciences journal 'Leonardo' (published by MIT Press). For more information on the project, please, contact Jocelyne Rotily, Curator at jocelyne.Rotily@wanadoo.fr. Jocelyne Rotily, 174 Bis rue Jean Mermoz, 13008 Marseilles, France For more information on Virtual Africa, please, visit our web site www.olats.org/africa/avva.shtml.
29.08.00 The 16th Annual ABSA Atelier Art Competition Entries for the 16th annual Absa Atelier Art competition for 2001 are now officially welcome. Artists between the ages of 21 and 35 are invited to start working on their pieces, which will be received at SANAVA (South African National Association for the Visual Arts) offices and other venues around the country from March 5 - 9, 2001. Billed as the premier art competition in the country with the highest value in prize money, the Atelier consistently attracts the cream of young South African talent every year. The rewards are unquestionably worthwhile. The first prize consists of R60 000 in cash, a round trip to Paris, and accommodation for up to 6 months in the Cit� Internationale des Arts. This gives the winner the opportunity to live and work with artists in the creative capital of the world. Each of four runners-up receives R10 000. Apart from the prizes, the Absa Atelier also provides a platform for emerging artists to showcase their work. Entrants in the competition also stand the chance of selling their work to ABSA, which has a large corporate collection. Further details of the competition and entry forms are available from branches of SANAVA (South African National Association for the Visual Arts), universities, technikons, galleries and museums nationwide or by calling Absa on (011) 350-5793 or (012) 328 7109. More information can be obtained from Cecile Loedolff, Manager Arts & Functions (011) 350-5793
29.08.00 Thicker Than Water: Images and Issues of Blood in Contemporary Art 'Thicker Than Water: Images and Issues of Blood in Contemporary Art' is to be curated by New York-based Dominique Nahas and Koan Jeff Baysa, MD. They are looking for artists whose work explores these issues.
Send details to:
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