Works by Clive van den Berg are to be exhibited

RELATED LINKS: Talk to the trees in Juta Street DEVELOPED from an idea conceived by the Imbali Visual Literacy Project, the interactive tree sculptures recently installed in Juta Street, Braamfontein, have added an interesting visual dimension to Joburg's cultural arc. Read more City's public art in the spotlight AN all-embracing plan is being drawn up to encourage new forms of creative expression, and to care and maintain the current artworks found in Joburg's public spaces. Read more City launches Braamfontein brand THE inner city suburb of Braamfontein is finding its identity, becoming a place to work, to learn - and to live. Read more Ripple effect from Braamfontein Regeneration Project BrAAMFONTEIN is starting show signs of life as the district's regeneration project gets into high gear, with shopkeepers sprucing up their shop fronts and even extending their hours of business. Read more

Churchill Madikida will help transform Braamfontein into an art mecca

A model of Jeremy Wafer's work

Gateway project will spruce up Braamies In a public art project in Braamfontein five artists have created works for the Gateway site. Their models are on show for public comment before the winning work is announced and installed. April 2, 2007 By Ndaba Dlamini BRAAMFONTEIN is fast becoming the art mecca of Johannesburg, with yet another public art project expected to beautify the area within the next couple of months. An initiative of the Johannesburg Development Agency and the Braamfontein Improvement District (BID), the new artwork will be installed at the Gateway site at the corner of Ameshoff and Bertha streets in June, according to Katie Engelbrecht, the communications officer at Kagiso Urban Management, which manages the BID. "Five artists were asked to submit proposals at the end of last year and they made models of the artwork that they intended to work on." Artists Retha Erasmus, Churchill Madikida, Usha Seejarim, Clive van den Berg and Jeremy Wafer were asked to respond conceptually to the site and then to make finished submissions consisting of schedules, budgets and the finished models. Retha Erasmus's futuristic piece adds to public art in Braamfontein "The subsequent products are little models of the artists' artwork. [They] are currently on show at the University of Witwatersrand's Wits Substation," Engelbrecht says. "The first of two rounds of judging took place at the beginning of February. The second and final round involved public viewing, a walkabout and workshops on 19 and 20 March. Soon after the exhibition the winning piece will be announced." During the exhibition the public and students are able to inspect the artists' submissions, engage with the production of public art and offer feedback and opinions. As knowledge and skills transference is an important aspect of the Gateway project, Wits School of Arts' third-year design and drawing students will be briefed to develop a temporary work on the commission site, in anticipation of the final installation and unveiling, according to Engelbrecht. "The installation and unveiling dates will be announced in due course." The Gateway project is managed by the Trinity Session, a contemporary art production team that runs The Premises, the Johannesburg Civic Theatre's art gallery; and a committee of advisers that includes the City's Department of Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the Wits School of Arts and paper company Sappi. It will add to the nine large, metal tree sculptures on Juta Street, a few blocks away from the Gateway site. The sculptures and the Gateway art project are part of a broader initiative to create a visual trail around Johannesburg's cultural arc, which spans Constitution Hill, Braamfontein, Wits University's East Campus, Nelson Mandela Bridge and Newtown. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za