Neil Fraser

RELATED LINKS: About Citichat NEIL Fraser is a partner in 'Neil Fraser & Associates trading as Urban Inc', an urban consultancy dedicated to the revitalisation and regeneration of cities and of the inner city of Johannesburg in particular. He can be contacted on 083 456 0242 or 011 444 4895 or by e-mail at neil@urbaninc.co.za Citichat is a free weekly publication concerning cities generally and Johannesburg specifically. Please forward Citichat to your colleagues who may wish to be placed on the subscription list. To subscribe please contact us at info@urbaninc.co.za READ previous editions of CitiChat Neil Fraser - passionate city man HE'S got a full white beard and moustache to match his white hair, he smiles often, and he's passionate about cities, particularly Johannesburg . . . he's Neil Fraser, executive director of the Central Johannesburg Partnership, an inner city renewal initiative. Read more Put billboards to better use, Joburg JOBURG should take note of international trends and regulate billboards. The money made from allowing such advertising should also be used for civic projects, such as cleaning the streets and public art. Read more JDA report maps progress in the inner city THE good news is that the Gautrain should lead to more inner city investment, but the bad news is that the poor are, once again, being marginalised. Read more City gears up for Inner City Summit QUESTIONS that will be posed at the Joburg Inner City Summit include what makes a city liveable, vibrant and attractive. Neil Fraser looks at the issues around public and leisure spaces and arts, culture and heritage. Read more 'Joburg Art City 2004' - celebrating the Decade of Democracy JOBURG Art City was aimed at turning the inner city into a giant outdoor art gallery. The objectives of the project were to promote South African arts and artists, showcase the city's urban renewal progress and change perceptions by exposing people to what was happening in the city. Read more The Johannesburg Art Gallery - Quo Vadis? THE decision to move the Johannesburg Art Gallery is a coup for the Newtown development, but it raises the question of what happens with the current Joubert Park precinct. Read more Cici - the Creative Inner City Initiative IN the words of the project's Bie Venter, the initiative is "an extraordinary non- formal art school". It is housed in the old Hebrew School located on the corner of Wolmarans and Claim Streets directly opposite the Great Synagogue, providing an opportunity to link with other exciting arts initiatives centred on Joubert Park. Read more Further lessons from Colorado DENVER is a city of art. Its Public Art Programme was established in 1988 under a by-law whereby 1 percent of all capital improvement projects over $1-million undertaken by the City was invested in public art. Read more Celebrating struggle art JOBURG Art City deals with the struggle towards democracy and the achievement of freedom and democratic rights. Following a national art competition, 20 works were selected for enlarging and mounting on city building walls. Read more

Public art softens harsh urban environment Very little funding is channelled to public art, and Johannesburg gets crumbs from the central government. But a new deal made by the City's arts department may change all that. April 2, 2007 By Neil Fraser I WAS fortunate a couple of years ago to have been invited by the Welsh Development Agency to visit that country and to see some of the projects on which the agency was working. During my visit my hosts had arranged for me to spend some time with and view some local output of an organisation known as CBAT, the Cardiff Bay Arts Trust, an arts and regeneration agency. CBAT is an independent public art consultancy whose mission is "to enliven the built environment, supporting sustainability, education and civic ownership, by practising a primary role for artists in regeneration schemes throughout Wales, the UK and internationally". Clients, whether private or public sector, engage CBAT to commission appropriate public arts works and project manage the entire process. Its expertise enables it to provide strategic advice and best practice relevant to each project as well as creative, practical and technical project management. I was very impressed with the work that it was doing and suggested that, if any members ever visited South Africa, they should spend some time in Joburg. A few months ago CBAT contacted me to advise me that two senior staff members, whom I had met, Zoe King and Aldo Rinaldi, would be visiting Cape Town and could spend a few days in Joeys. I find that it is always refreshing to see one's city and the work that is being done through professionals' eyes and it was good to spend some time, albeit very short, with them in the city. Johannesburg Development Agency To a very large extent the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) has been responsible for bringing public art in the inner city to the fore over the past few years by ensuring its inclusion in all of its projects. Mary Fitzgerald Square, Faraday, Drill Hall, Constitution Hill and Metro Mall (through Bongi Dhlomo) – these and others have been greatly enhanced by public art. The Braamfontein public space upgrade includes the metal "trees" in Juta Street (a project of the excellent Trinity Session); the current upgrading of the entrances to the Ellis Park precinct includes excellent mosaic artwork, and so forth. Indeed, a quick visit to the new JDA offices in the Bus Factory in Newtown highlights that its approach to art has been carried through to its own premises. Lesley Perkes is another stalwart of public art, to which the Sunday Times commissions around the country bear testimony. The problem in our context, of course, is that aside from the contributions of the JDA and a small number of others in the public art realm, very little funding finds its way into supporting this sector. And a visit to the Creative Inner City Initiative (Cici), which has done so much to encourage, teach and uncover artistic endeavour in the inner city, finds it again without funds. Many would say that the country's current priorities are such that the support of the arts must clearly be low on our priority list. But some work done by cultural consultant Peter Starck, in preparation for the Inner City Summit, clearly shows how Johannesburg as a city is the recipient of cultural funding crumbs from central government sources – with most of the loaf going to Cape Town, Durban and even Bloemfontein. Value The value of public art goes far beyond art for the sake of art. The Welsh Development Agency Design Guide states that: "Public art has become an integral part of economic regeneration and is playing an increasingly important role as creative catalyst in landscape design, urban design and architecture. The value of artistic involvement in the design process has been repeatedly demonstrated." Another truism is that, "the work of artists in the public realm transforms the spaces and places we inhabit every day. A walk in the park, a trip to the shops or even a long day at work or school can be a more enjoyable and stimulating experience with a little help from artists." Oh, for a more enjoyable and stimulating experience in our harsh urban environment! So, it is good news indeed that the City's Department of Arts Culture and Heritage has obtained agreement from the council on a percentage of all capital works to be set aside for public art investment. While the actual percentage doesn't appear to have been finalised, the principle has been established. I only hope that this doesn't go the same way as the principle that 15 percent of all inner city council income generated from outdoor advertising is to go into an inner city fund. Ah well, I hope you had a great weekend, Neil PS: Check out CBAT's website and the Commissions North website, which provides another great look at public art in the United Kingdom. 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). 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