February 17, 2006
By Anish Abraham
FROM being the poor cousin City department, arts, culture and heritage services has surged forward over the past two years – and it has been named the best performing unit within the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
The department of health and Region 9 previously held the award, which is given out by the Office of the City Manager.
Steven Sack, the director of arts, culture and heritage services, says the award is a testament to the management and staff, who worked hard to breathe new life into the city's art galleries and museums.
"This department was underperforming for a number of reasons, and when I was appointed in 2002 we got into the process of identifying risks and addressing them."
Sack adds that despite having a relatively small budget, the department's role in respect of renaming and reclaiming heritage is absolutely vital. "There is recognition that [the department] has a role to play with regard to community development that is not met by sports or library services."
Galleries and museums
Sack commends the team in charge of the Johannesburg Art Gallery under the leadership of Clive Kelner, saying there has been a "dramatic" turnaround at that institution.
It still faces challenges, however, as its location in the inner city still deters visitors from even world-class presentations. The gallery's proposed move to the Turbine Hall in Newtown has also been scrapped, as the department is not allowed to make any modifications to the façade of that heritage building.
"We cannot have artwork in a building with so many windows, and in terms of the heritage impact assessment, we cannot make any alterations to the building. We are currently looking for another suitable site," Sack explains.
Even when a move is made, the department will still have to ensure that the present art gallery building will not be left unused.
Sack also praises the Museum of Transport, "which has done pretty well", not only in attracting a decent audience, but also in keeping the vehicles in good working order.
"The Hector Pieterson Museum is also a consistent performer, it is well managed and has an increasing – although mainly foreign – audience. Apart from that it is a wholly black-managed institution and the only one of its kind in a township. It is a real gem," he adds.
Changes can be expected at two well-known institutions: Museum Africa and the Sandton Art Gallery. The department has advertised for a new head of institution for Museum Africa, while the Sandton Art Gallery is in the vicinity of a proposed Gautrain station and can expect many changes.
"These are exciting developments," Sack says.
In addition, his department is compiling an asset register of all the items and artefacts in the many museums and galleries it runs. Most of the work is complete, with just the assets at Museum Africa still to be counted.
"It [Museum Africa] has the bulk of our items and it will be a difficult task. We have 50 people working on it – I mean normally we have a total staff of 130, so this is big," he says.
A creative, art city
If he had his way, Sack would like to have helped to position Johannesburg as a creative art city, where theatre, music, visual arts and crafts are supported. He says there is a need to brand the city ahead of the 2010 World Cup as well as sustain the notion of being a creative, art city beyond the event.
"People around the continent should know that Joburg is the place to go to be involved in the arts," he says.
With an increasing number of television programmes and local movies showing scenes of the city, Sack says the department and the Gauteng Film Office are discussing how best they can improve filmmaking in Johannesburg.
A crucial role the department could play would be in the development of new talent. "We can't really afford the financing of infrastructure, but we can possibly work with the artists. We have to identify what is the particular role of the City," Sack explains.
"Two years ago most of the people in the department were very demotivated. Now there is a greater sense of pride – coming from things that are done well."
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