Greatmore Studios turns 10 and expands
Greatmore Studios in Woodstock is celebrating its 10th anniversary in November and in preparation for this, the Studio is undergoing considerable renovations and expanding in order to provide the artists with more studio space and a small gallery on the premises. The new gallery will see its first incarnation as the space hosting the Thupelo Found Object Workshop in September, as well as serving as the main venue for a celebratory fundraising exhibition scheduled for November 14.
In November Greatmore Studios will be hosting a cultural festival that will invite alumnae, resident artists, cultural activists, trustees and friends of Greatmore as well as the broader community to gather under one roof. The primary aim of the event is to showcase the development of various projects that have grown out of Greatmore Studios over the last decade namely: the Visiting Artists Programme (a three month residency programme open to artists living outside Cape Town), Mentoring workshops (four week long residencies open to emerging artists to be mentored by seasoned artists resident at the studios) and Outreach workshops initiated by artists in various communities around Cape Town. They will also be producing an archival publication on their 10 years in Cape Town.
Greatmore has been instrumental in providing the creative, intellectual and institutional support for many artists who have passed through its doors. To date 266 visual artists have taken up residency at the studios. Greatmore is a development of the Triangle Arts Foundation and its combination of short and long, local and international residencies has proved a successful formula in creating interesting partnerships and promoting collaboration and dialogue between formally and informally trained artists. 'Greatmore Studios very much draws on a seSotho word Thupelo which mean to teach... we believe that it is one thing to be an artist who is privileged enough to have studio space to create, and another thing to be able to pass on one's own skills to another generation of younger budding artists. Participating in outreach projects gives artists greater longevity... it really also helps draw our artists in residence together to work on a project bigger than themselves... it is always so fulfilling�' says director Tambudzai Sibanda.
Greatmore, along with its counterpart in Johannesburg, The Bag Factory, has been a mainstay in the ups and downs of the art establishments across the country, and both are now proving their determination to continue to function into the future, and in fact to expand their mandate.
'There can be little doubt that Greatmore Studios has made (and is making) a positive contribution - helping generate exchange between artists, not least from African countries.' says Mario Pissarra.
