Emerging from a stubbornly white chrysalis into democratic SA: The SAAAH
by Robyn Sassen
Since 1984 the South African Association of Art and Architectural Historians (SAAAH) saw itself as a meeting point for academics in the fields indicated by its name. Through its annual conference, it afforded an opportunity for members to meet and share observations on art history. It never swayed, however, from being a clutch of highly trained, stubbornly white experts in a small field manifesting scant awareness of the radical changes taking place in South Africa.
It took a day-long strategic planning workshop, held at Wits' School of the Arts in early February, to put these realities onto paper and to moot the beginnings of a new identity for the association, replete with awareness and relevance. This was coupled with a sexy enough image to make the discourse more palatable and attractive to would-be members. From the outset, it was acknowledged that this meeting was but the starting point for a project that might take up to five years to effect.
It was facilitated by Ed Dexter, a change management consultant and ex-Catholic priest with a deep understanding of the process necessary to forge a sense of ownership for members of a new SAAAH. 22 members, largely from Wits, attended, but academics from as far as Vaal University of Technology, Roodepoort Museum, North West, Potchefstroom and Rhodes Universities were also present.
Using SAAH's newsletter secretary Judy Ramgolam's recently completed MM (Master of Management degree, in the field of Public and Development Management) thesis entitled 'The Transforming Context of the SAAAH' as a starting point, Jillian Carman, in the Chair, began the meeting by recounting SAAAH's history, achievements and failures. The association's journal, funded by the apartheid government, existed between 1987 and 1991, but was discontinued through lack of funds in 1996.
Membership did not include academics from historically disadvantaged universities. Rather than a stated policy of exclusion, the association had never made a particular effort to encourage them to join. It can be argued that the idea was that only 'proper' academics, educated at very specific 'white' institutions, were welcomed.
This helped to phrase questions regarding the political identity of the association. Having had its journal funded by the apartheid government, could it weather an identity shift? Does scholarship enabled by apartheid hold its own in a post-apartheid context? Should the re-establishment of an academic journal be seen as a matter of priority? And what, indeed, is art history; or an art historian for that matter?
Dexter warned that the SAAAH should not try to move too quickly to consensus, and that this transformational event must be seen as part of a process to establish a sense of direction for the SAAAH. 'Rejoice in the past,' he said, 'Don't reject every aspect of it.' Without taking radical decisions, which would not be possible without the input of representatives from all over the country, the nature of the meeting was broadly to define the problems and issues, and muster enthusiasm for transformation.
Time was spent in what Federico Freschi, SAAAH's secretary, termed 'Vishmish': redefining the vision, mission and values of the association. The de- and reconstruction of the words stating the association's original vision and mission was more than just about semantics. The focus was on being more upbeat, representative and realistic. In the meeting's minutes, the reshaping of a new mission statement was framed around questions like: 'What are we here for? What would be missing if SAAAH disappeared?' And in terms of vision: 'In 3 to 5 years how will we differ? Will we still exist? Will we be doing different things?'
Beyond these, SAAAH has some more immediate issues: The association's 21st conference will be held this year in early September, at Rhodes University. Possibilities raised in this workshop will impact on the success of this conference and the association's ability to look to the future. In addition, there is the reality of shifting perspectives: The SAAAH must be able to grapple with issues confronting South Africa generally, from the structure of the economy to business currents, the prevalence of unemployment and the cost of higher education, all: issues that affect the arts as much as they do the rest of society.
Then the tricky questions about the definition of the discourse itself � and its authorship � were posed. Understanding history from a diversity of perspectives is appropriate to reshaping our democracy and identity.
The strategic objectives for reshaping the association were realised: marketing to increase the visibility and credibility of the association; conducting membership drives for previously disempowered academics, taking into consideration issues like demography, and using intellectual capital as a drawcard. The revival of the regional branches was mooted as a priority, as was the need to internationalise the conference, to strengthen the association's financial base and conduct research into the association's target market.
Good intentions aside, at this stage, the main thing is that the members of the SAAAH are talking. Dexter did a laudable job in making the SAAAH's future seem viable. The rest is in the hands of the stakeholders: practitioners and academics, and people who believe in the value of an association of this nature, to bring meaning to it and give it a shot at a future.
For more information on becoming a member of the SAAAH, or on the SAAAH in general, please contact Karen von Veh: karenvv@twr.ac.za or 082 456 6099.
