New arts prize has social impact as its mainframe

The Social Impact Arts Prize has been launched and is supported by the Rupert Art Foundation and the Rupert Art Museum in Stellenbosch.

The prize offers an exciting challenge to creatives – to think about the tremendous potential their art has to change not only their own world, but especially affect other people’s lives positively.

The call to entry is open to a broad set of creative thinkers - artists, architects and scientists, gardeners and landscapers, environmentalists, poets, sound artists and musicians, stargazers and all other creative visionaries.

The prize asks for idea-driven proposals which consider issues like the environment, education, human relations and social cohesion inspired by deep wells of South African history, culture and each individual artist’s unique lived experience.

Each submission should be specific to the beautiful Karoo town of Graaff-Reinet.

The project is site-specific for several reasons; the unique surrounding landscape - which already draws leading palaeontologists and environmentalists from around the world - reminds us of a deeper historical picture.

The fourth-oldest town in South Africa reflects a unique architectural history, while it also hosts a handful of cultural gems like anthropological, history and art museums, as well as sites and centres of remembrance. The town will in time, hopefully with the successful implementation of the Social Impact Arts Prize award winning projects, further develop into a powerful 'Museum without Walls'.

Submissions close on 15 December 2019. If you have a creative, impactful and meaningful idea that has the potential to motivate, inspire and be a catalyst for change, visit socialimpactartsprize.org to register your interest and to get all the information.