In Johannesburg, a
new Gallery at Kya Sands, for Venda Art and Crafts has now been established
and is fully operational. There is a wide range of sculptures and craft exhibited
in the Gallery also featuring quality crafts produced by physically disabled crafts
people, as well as women and up-and-coming artists.
The
Gallery is set in 3 hectares of beautiful landscaped gardens, which create a tranquil
and creative setting. Most often there are artists visiting and working on
sculptures here. The environment also lends itself to outside promotions
and events.
In conjunction with the artist, John
Baloyi, Mukondeni
has constructed an Art Gallery in Mashamba. The Gallery has been designed
to reflect the ethnic diversity of the rural environment. In saying this,
the Gallery has a partly thatched roof, comprises 3 separate rooms and has dung
floors. On the walls, which have been painted
using traditional coloured soil, are various murals depicting rural scenes.
The Gallery also has glass windows and doors that actually work! It is
John Baloyi's and Neill's
own intention that the Gallery has to contain works from other artists and crafters
in the area. This concept works well, as John Baloyi has his own light-delivery
vehicle, which makes it possible for him to collect works of other artists and
crafters from the surrounding areas.
Mukondeni
fine arts gallery has been instrumental in the establishment of the following:
The Mashamba Art Gallery Self Help projects An Artist and a Cultural village