Arts and Culture Handbook gets an update
by Kathryn Smith
Up till now, anyone seeking funding advice, networking connections and all manner of arts and culture information, including international funding and support opportunities in South Africa, needn't have looked much further than the first edition of Article 27's Arts and Culture Handbook, released in 1998.
Admittedly that one had some gaps, but I still find myself paging through it, wistfully yearning for an updated version, at a more pocket-friendly price than the almost R300 I paid for the last one four years ago. And here it is.
The first version received generous support from Nedbank (the main patrons of the Arts and Culture Trust), ACT itself and Business and Arts South Africa, and became the most important and comprehensive source of information on arts and culture in post-1994 South Africa. This edition is backed by Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA) and David Philip Publishers, now an imprint of New Africa Books, and has been compiled and edited by Article 27 and Cultural Weapon main man Mike van Graan, and Tammy Ballantyne.
A directory that no artist, journalist, student, researcher or culture vulture should be without, the handbook's chapters include names and contact details for national and provincial funding agencies; private sector sponsors; foreign embassies in South Africa and South African embassies abroad; various media and arts journalists; educational institutions; local and international arts festivals; awards and competitions; national, provincial and local government politicians and officials responsible for arts and culture; and contact details for important agencies in craft, dance, music, theatre, film, literature, visual arts, heritage, community art and cultural tourism.
Knowledge - and the part that Foucault omitted from his famous maxim, namely a good and reliable network - is power, so don't let the number of rejected funding proposals you have received tarnish the value of this book. The number of proposals received always translates into perceived demand, and in an ideal world, this hopefully translates into an increased supply of funds.
The book will be launched at 5.30 for 6pm on April 18 at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre. A limited number of books will be available for R150 each on the night.
For further information, please contact Mike van Graan on art27m@iafrica.com or Tammy at tammyb@artslink.co.za for more information.
