Life made rich through art & diversity
The term “starving artist” exists for a reason. For every Nelson Makamo, Lira, Lauren Beukes out there, there are thousands of hyper-talented artists and creators doing their best to hone their craft while also making ends meet. This is a large part of the reason why so many parents would rather see their children opt for “real” jobs that trade monotony for security. The artistic temperament, however, seldom brooks tedium and when nourished correctly can set the world on fire and grace the cover of Time Magazine in the process.
The Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) has thus spent the past quarter century helping nurture and develop some of the country’s bests talents in the fields of theatre, music, visual art and literature. As with all noble causes, it has not always been smooth sailing and even after 25 years in the business challenges abound.
“One of the biggest challenges in today’s funding landscape is that policies are constantly changing for companies to keep up with the CSI quotas. And most practitioners are not informed enough on how to go about understanding what those policies are,” explains ACT CEO Marcus Desando.
He adds: “We as a trust have to find funding, just like our beneficiaries do. We also need to increase our visibility to the general public and the lack of funds hampers this.”
Despite this, ACT has managed to flourish and grow into a springboard for new and established artists across SA. Their bounciest platform is undoubtedly the ACT Awards, which honour South African creators from a wide range of disciplines. Over the last two-and-a-half decades, the winners of their lifetime achievement award have been some of the most influential and recognisable names in the South African arts and culture space. Creators whose work has reverberated throughout SA and the globe over an extended period of time.
Reflecting on how the local arts and culture scene has evolved over the years, internationally acclaimed poet and one of last night’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Antjie Krog, said: “It has become immensely diverse, which means a profound and exciting change in perspective, style, expectation and content. This is precisely the reason why many
South African artists are counted among the best in the world.”
Despite our high standing in all matters artistic, Krog’s words of wisdom to upcoming artists have a familiar ring to them. “[The biggest challenge facing young artists today is …] Survival. Combining material survival with the survival of the integrity of voice,” she said.
That is where ACT comes in. While not a medieval-era patron, willing to back any and all artistic whims, ACT does help artists get to a position where they can help themselves. More importantly, they do so in a manner that safeguards one’s integrity of voice.
‘It has become immensely diverse, which means a profound and exciting change in perspective, style, expectation and content. This is why many South African artists are counted among the best in the world’ — Antjie Krog