Launch of the Best Practice Guide for the Visual Arts in South Africa 2016

The Best Practice Guide was developed out of the need to share and develop industry practices that would support healthy and ethical relationships and transactions between practitioners in the industry. The guide is written to give all people involved in the visual arts an understanding of the practice South Africa should be aiming towards for the betterment of the visual arts.

Commissioned by the Department of Arts and Culture and written by Visual Arts Network of South Africa, the guide is intended to support a growing and strengthening the visual arts field. The content of the guide is extensive and covers as many fields as possible to be as accessible as possible to all.

It covers a range from sales to insurance, to taxes, to marketing and social media to the rights of practitioners in the field. We expect it will be invaluable for many people to better empower themselves to make knowledgeable decisions.

The director of VANSA, Molemo Moiloa, comments on important content in the guide: "We are very excited to launch this guide and make it available to the South African visual arts community. The guide is aimed at giving people as much information as possible so that they can take the paths they wish to, equipped with an understanding of where those paths may lead".

The guide strongly recommends the use of written agreements in all relations for the arts, something that is not yet usual practice for artists and gallerists. The guide also makes a case for ensuring artists are paid in every circumstance possible to encourage the professionalisation of creative work and the betterment of artists' livelihoods.
 
The guide is aimed at all practitioners across South Africa and will be available online. Visit the VANSA website to download your free copy now. Workshops will be held across South Africa where copies of the guide will be given to participants.

These workshops are also free and will give attendees a better understanding of how to use the guide. The workshops are hosted by partners of VANSA throughout South Africa.

Workshop dates and venues are listed below. The workshops are supported by the National Arts Council. For further information please write to the corresponding email addresses:

-Durban, KZN SA Gallery
20 October and 10 November 2016
moc.enilnosuxeno@lessur.

-Sterkspruit, Sterkspruit Community Art Centre
20 October 2016 
moc.liamg@825itnosisiloxm

-Durban, BAT Centre
21 October and 11 November 2016
moc.liamg@ilihpewisilihp

-Cape Town, Langa Guga S'Thebe
21 October 2016?
gro.krowtenlairetra@tnomlav

-Free State, Fezile Dabi
21 and 28 October 2016
az.oc.evil@azohk

-Cape Town, AVA Gallery
22 and 29 October 2016
az.oc.ava@nimda

Oudtshoorn, Oudtshoorn Youth Café
25 October 2016
moc.liamg@tranotlen

-Mafikeng Museum
28 October 2016
gro.prodskrelk@elitnebv

-Bloemfontein, QwaQwa Boitsebelo Junior Technical School
31 October 2016
az.oc.yrarbilastastames@aselap

-Welkom, Lejweleputswa Art Centre 
4 November 2016
moc.liamg@lebaolehuahk

-Cape Town, HubSpace, Khayelitsha
10 November 2016
moc.liamg@drallucsanex

-Bloemfontein, Sesotho Literary Museum
14 November 2016
az.oc.yrarbilastastames@aselap

-George, George Youth Café
15 November 2016
moc.liamg@tranotlen

-Port Elizabeth, ArtEC
16 November 2016
moc.oohay@uvebug.ozemupmon

-Polokwane, Polokwane Art Museum
25 November and 4 December 2016
az.vog.enawkolop@LsomA

-Johannesburg, VANSA
26 November 2016
az.oc.asnav@koobdnah

-Cape Town, Parkwood Community Centre
10 December 2016
moc.liamg@drallucsanex

-Cape Town, Artscape
26 March 2017
gro.krowtenlairetra@tnomlav

-Thaba Nchu, Mmabana Art Centre
Date to be confirmed
moc.liamg@aliaytder

-General Free State by appointment
Date to be confirmed
moc.liamg@51elahommi

About VANSA

VANSA operates as a support point and development agency for contemporary art practice in South Africa. We develop industry knowledge, resources, networks and projects that are concerned with realising new social, cultural and economic possibilities for contemporary art practice in the South African and, the wider African, context.

Established in 2002, VANSA is a national network of artists and arts organisations with just over 7000 members. For more information, please visit www.vansa.co.za
E-mail address: az.oc.asnav@koobdnah