Cape Town/Helderberg Land Art Meetup

Dear Artists,

Inspired by Site_Specific JOZI we believe we need monthly meetings around Cape Town to help connect us to one another and to the Land!

Please join us next Monday (13 April 2014) in Radlof Park, Somerset-West, at the Gordon Road entrance, map.

Share a day of discussion, inspiration and installation. We will begin  at 9.30am, with a quiet, ‘Open Hearts, Empty Hands’ approach, as described by Wongil Jeon. This means walking into Nature and responding to whatever is there, in the environment. Whatever we build will be respectful, organic and temporary: we may even dismantle it at the end of the day. (Some of us do bring tools in our otherwise empty hands: e.g. cameras!)


Then we’ll share tea and chats, with 2 main aims:

• Setting up regular monthly meetings
• finding opportunities and venues for public site-specific events

RSVP if you’d like to join us on 14 April.
Mail if you’d like to be kept up-to-date.
Please send any advice or suggestions!

Janet Ranson - janran@cybersmart.co.za
Janet Botes - art@janetbotes.co.za, +2772 331 5057

Cape Town Eco Film Festival Programme

I will be attending the Cape Town Eco Film Festival next week. Will I see you there?

http://capetownecofilmfestival.com/programme/

2014 Cape Town Eco Film Festival

Join me at the inaugural Cape Town Eco Film Festival, which will take place at the Labia Theatre on Orange Street in Cape Town from Thursday the 27th of March to Monday the 31st of March.

Among the 25 short and feature-length films to be on show, are 10 movies that have never been seen in South Africa. Highlights of the lineup include:

• Gasland Part II – the explosive follow-up to the 2011 Oscar-nominated film Gasland about fracking.
• Blackfish – an astonishing eco-thriller about the plight of killer whales in captivity and the danger that comes with it.
• Bringing It Home – a film about industrial hemp cultivation featuring Cape Town’s own hemp expert Tony Budden of Hemporium fame.
• More Than Honey – a beautiful Swiss masterpiece that compares old-fashioned beekeeping with its modern industrial counterpart.

The complete programme and information about all of the films, including trailers, can be found on the Festival website: www.capetownecofilmfestival.com.

Tickets will sell for R45, of which R5 will go towards Festival sponsor Greenpop’s tree planting efforts. “Festival goers will also be able to buy ‘Tree Tickets’, which will cost R160 and each of which will allow Greenpop to plant a tree!” explains Wilson-Späth. Online ticket sales will become available on the Festival website within the next few weeks. For now, tickets may be reserved by calling the Labia box office at 021 424 5927.

For more information, visit www.capetownecofilmfestival.com and www.facebook.com/whileyouweresleepingSA and follow While You Were Sleeping on Twitter (@WYWS_SA).

Wild & Still

I am having my first solo exhibition!

WILD & STILL

expressions of the landscape

by Janet Botes

"Wildness ~ the sheer power and awe of waves crashing onto the beach, or a storm raging in the sky. Stillness ~ in the silent beauty of mist, the curve of a shell, and the fine details of an insect's wing."

This exhibition of artworks aims to achieve a tension between the raw power of the wilderness and tranquillity in a natural landscape. The artworks include still snapshots of wildness, in the form of paintings, drawings, mixed media work, and original limited edition prints.

Opening 5 June 2014 at 6pm
Introduction by Strijdom van der Merwe
Performance Art at 7pm
Artist Walkabout 14 June at 11am
Exhibition on view until 30 June 2014

Hosted by www.StateoftheArt.co.za, located in the heart of Cape Town, between Loop and Bree street, and known for selling affordable original art by South African emerging artists.

Journey in Words & Nuances: 6 June 2013

WDC 2014 An exciting lino-cut workshop with an opportunity to exhibit overseas

Opening @ State of the Art Exhibition Gallery

www.StateoftheArt.co.za is opening up an exhibition gallery in Shortmarket Street, Cape Town! I've seen photographs of the progress and prep in the space, and the gallery looks amazing! Make sure you don't miss the opening on Thursday night as part of the Cape Town First Thursdays initiative. All the info in the following invitation: 

Ink & Watercolour Workshop

Studio 41 presents: 
INK & WATERCOLOUR WORKSHOP
by Janet Botes

DATE: Friday 15 February & Saturday 16 February 2013
TIME: 10 am - 12:30 pm
PLACE: Studio 41, 41 Glynn Street, cnr. Canterbury & Glynn, Cape Town

COST: R350 per workshop/per day (includes materials & refreshments (vegetarian, wheat-free))

Techniques include working with washes, with different tools and materials, working loose as well as detailed, and creating texture. Booking & payment is essential - Limited space is available, with individual attention and guidance a focus within the workshop, making it suitable for beginners who want to learn a new art form or medium, as well as experienced artists who just want to develop their skill or expand their medium.

Facebook event page

For bank details & booking, contact me at art@janetbotes.co.za

The Grad Show Exhibition At Michaelis

This week I had a peek at the exhibition of art by the grad students from the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art. These are some of the works that I find really inspiring, impressive or interesting:

'I am an African' at Gallery @ Grande Provence, Franschhoek

The Gallery at Grande Provence Presents:

‘Angels 7 – I am an African’ 

The seventh annual Angels exhibition at The Gallery @ Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate, Franschhoek, opens on Sunday, 9 December 2012 at 11h00 until 27 February 2013.

In 2006 a group show titled ‘Angels’ was established by The Gallery at Grande Provence. The title was playfully based on the name of the award winning collection of ‘Angels Tears’ wines that is produced by the Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate. Over the years the exhibition has progressed from an annual festive-season group show with references to angels, to a thought-provoking exhibition that addresses a range of current social and environmental matters.

This year “Angels 7” is themed ‘I am an African’. The theme references to one of the greatest African speeches ever delivered - to visually celebrate our identity, growth, achievements and the beauty of our people, land and cityscapes. However, the exhibition also aims to communicate the critical social and other challenges that currently face our society and environment. All aspects of life in contemporary South Africa will be represented.

Some of the contributing artists in this year’s “Angels” exhibition include:
Christiaan Diedericks, Eugenie Marais, Strijdom van der Merwe, Gordon Froud, Mbongeni Buthelezi, Richard Smith, MJ Lourens, Ruhan Janse van Vuuren, Wilma Cruise, Frank van Reenen, Ricky Dyaloyi, Greg Lourens, Katie Barnard Du Toit, Uwe Pfaff, Loni Drager, Mongezi Gum, Niel Visser, Koos de Wet, Sanna Swart, Talitha Deetlefs, JP Meyer, Marieke Prinsloo, Ingrid Coerlin, George Holloway, Zhann Solomons, Marleen Wolters, Thokozani Mthiyani, Erika Prinsloo, Anastasia Sarantinou, Janet Botes, Noelene Kleve, Anton Smit, Martin de Kock, Marieke Kruger, Frans Smit, Paula van Coller Louw, Jacques Dhont, Lynette ten Krooden, David Brits, Rae Goosen, Susara Steenkamp and Debbi Morkel.

 The famous speech, ‘I am an African’ by former President Thabo Mbeki was supplied to the artists as inspiration for their work. A selection of angel artworks and distinctive gifts and crafts feature in The Shop at Grande Provence to complement the ‘Angels Tears’ collection that is available in the retail area off the courtyard, behind The Gallery.

 For more information regarding this years exhibition please contact the curator
 Carina at +27 (0)21 876 8630 or e-mail gallery@grandeprovence.co.za

The Gallery is open from Monday to Sunday, from 10h00 till 18h00. 

www.grandeprovence.co.za

Join the conversation, Green Art 2012, 23-25 Nov at the CTICC, Cape Town

During the 2012 Cape Town Green Expo in association with National Geographic Channel 281, 8 artists are exhibiting artworks and art installations that engage the viewer about our planet, seeking to spark dialogues about our connection and relationship with our natural environment.

Eight Artists, One Planet

Each artwork in some way talks to and about: nature, the earth, the natural world, the planet, the ecosystem, the biosphere, our natural heritage - and our place within it.

ARTISTS:

Simon Max Bannister, Janet Ranson, Kai Lossgott, Stefanie Schoeman, Janet Botes, Danelle Malan, Nicolle Marais, Claire Homewood

The Collage Mural Project, facilitated by Claire Homewood, forms an integral part of the exhibition. Here's the event page for it: https://www.facebook.com/events/550323068328061/

Make sure to read Recession aesthetics and making art without destroying the planet: "A Green Art Manifesto", Kai Lossgott's contribution to (eco)nversations, and part of our catalogue which is available at the exhibition: http://kailossgott.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-green-art-manifesto.html

www.greenart.artlovenature.co.za

Facebook Event page

THANK YOU to our hosts and sponsors:

The Green Expo in association with National Geographic Channel 281
The Shoprite Checkers Development Trust
Pronature Paints
Xanita

Not to be missed: Stages by IKAPA

Don't miss "Stages" at the Magnet Theatre in Obs this Sunday at 6pm!

"Stages" features dancers from all of iKapa Dance Theatre's dance groups including their Outreach Kids, Youth Company, Professional Company and the OnPointe Performance Team. 

Tickets are R60 (email admin@ikapadancetheatre.co.za) or R80 at the door if you'd like to come and watch this great production! Click here to pre-book NOW.

Amped and happy to be busy

Silence sometimes means productivity in my world - not doing updates on my blogs, not doing anything on Facebook, not surfing the net for 'inspiration' and not reading endless blog posts about art = more time actually creating new work, participating in projects and basically being physically and actively creative in the "real" world.

Anyway, so I've been brushing up on some of my skills, working on the preparations and promotion of MOVING PLANET Cape Town, planning a new exhibition and continuation of my Scapes project, attended/participated in the Out the Box Festival and started making some recycled art pieces (photo's to be uploaded soon - watch this space!). I've also been cleaning out my head- and physical spaces, spending time with loved ones, and I attended a workshop in chalk pastel-making which forms part of Karen Suskin's latest art project.

This is just one of the things that we can do with plastic bags! Left is the basket of my electric bicycle, and right is part of the tree float's base that was built for Moving Planet.

Please help spread the word about MOVING PLANET, happening on Heritage Day - 24 September 2011. In Cape Town were meeting at 10h30 at the Train Station Forecourt and then parade, walk, skate, cycle, jump, run, dance and MOVE as a large procession through the city to raise awareness about carbon emissions and ways that we can help curb global warming. You'll find some visuals, printables and things to share with all the people you know here: ecojunki.blogspot.com/2011/09/9-days-left-to-moving-planet.html

Moving towards 350

Wondering what I'm busy with? Finishing an application for a mutli-disciplinary artist workshop up the West Coast, and making plans for building a non-motorized float on wheels, along with Nicolle Marais (www.nicolleart.yolasite.com). This is for the Cape Town Moving Planet event on 24 September, themed "Tread Lightly". Here's a bit of information about the event:

The Cape Town Moving Planet event will feature a huge march/parade with floats, costumes, puppets and more, with thousands of people, young and old, marching to make change. The event will seek to raise awareness of climate-friendly alternatives to damaging practices like driving your car, cutting down trees, and many other harmful actions. As fun and exciting as it will be, the event will also be a petition, demanding change in the policies and programs put forth by our government that damage the environment.

If we are able to finish the float in time, it will aslo be used druing the opening parage for the Out the Box festival, held annually in Cape Town by UNIMA SA, opening on the 3rd of September this year.

We will need a great amount of time, energy and helping hands to succeed in doing this. So for the GYA gatherings this month as well as next month you are invited to come and help create the float and additional meterials, placards and props for the procession. Sms(0723315057) or email (art@janetbotes.co.za) me the days and times that would suit you best, and I'll plan some sessions when a couple of us are all available to join and create together!






For more information about Moving Planet, presented by 350:

www.350.org
www.moving-planet.org

AND for more info about the Cape Town event:

Go to the event page: www.moving-planet.org/events/za/cape-town/978
Check out the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/350-Moving-Planet-Cape-Town/137845456301050

Please come and join, share in the fun and get involved!

Come and join on Friday!

22 July 2011
3pm

37 Bryant Street, Bo-Kaap

Cape Town, South Africa

GYA is about "Greening your art" and at the moment is focused on creating a platform for artists to gather and talk about ways that we can change all stages our artmaking to be eco-conscious and authentic.

On the 22nd of July we'll be having a look at what Michelle Searle did in a park in Bryant street in the Bo-Kaap in Cape Town. She initiated and pulled through a project where she and her neighbors improved the park so it would be safe for kids to play there. She did a creative mural, and also painted a flower on the pavement in the park, where kids now play and Michelle and other women can have activities with the kids.We'll have snacks and something to drink in the park and at Michelle's home (just around the corner from the park) while talking about either further improving the park or identifying another park or area that needs creative upliftment.

Please bring:
a smile, creativity, enthusiasm, snacks and something to drink (no Coca-Cola please - try and bring ethical, fairtrade and environmentally aware snacks and drinks!) :-)

Looking forward to see you there!

DIRECTIONS
Buitengraght...into Bloem...sharp left into a road with no name...into Buiten street.....up...& up turn left at Big green house..and drive along Bryant Street to a bright pink house. We meet at the house and then walk the few metres to the park.

For more info about the park or this gathering call Michelle at 021 424 7054 / 0825044130. For more info about the GYA gatherings in general call Janet at 072 331 5057.

Google map link to the venue



Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=209404052413414

A talk by William Kentridge at Greatmore Studios

William Kentridge will give a talk on his work on 5 August 2011 at Greatmore Studios in Woodstock! The talk is in aid of raising funds for the studios and will be accompanied by an exhibition by various artists in support of the studios.

Tickets for the talk cost R150, for more info and bookings, email info@greatmoreart.org.

Come and join Monday night

A workshop and an exhibition in April!

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Greatmore Studios, Cape Town, 2 – 16 April 2011
Closing date for applications: 7^th March 2011

Thupelo Workshop for Printmakers
WORKSHOP DATES: 2 to 16 April 2011
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 7^th March 2011 (12:00pm)

Established printmakers are invited to apply for the Thupelo Workshop 2011 which will be held at Greatmore Art Studios, Woodstock, Cape Town.

The workshop:

• will focus on oil and water based proof prints using woodcuts, lino cuts, mono prints, silkscreen, dry point and collagraph
• will include up to 20 artists all with experience in various print making practices
• will provide an environment for experimentation, the exchange of ideas and skills and the encouragement to expand one’s own practice

Applicants need to commit to working all day, everyday.

The workshop will:

• provide basic materials but artists should also bring their own rollers, cutting tools, pegs, aprons, ideas and any other special requirements
• provide shared accommodation for up to 6 people on a first come first serve basis
• serve lunch daily
• offer a small budget for local transport
• end with an exhibition including a catalogue

The two week workshop will end with an open day exhibition on the15th and 16^th of April 2011 at Greatmore Art Studios.

To download the application form, go here: http://www.greatmoreart.org/the-news.html

Don't miss the exhibition opening!

So I spent the day at Wessel Snyman Creative, doing my newest art installation piece, and went to Sea Point beach with Nastasha Daniels to fetch some more pebbles for the said installation work. The great unveiling of this new work is at the opening of HumanEarth: conversation, which is tomorrow, Tuesday, at 7pm at 17 Bree street, Cape Town CBD. If you miss the opening, not to worry, the exhibition runs till 22 January, next Saturday. You'll only be missing out on free wine, and great conversations. But at least you'll see the art!



See you tomorrow evening!

For the leaflet/invitation to the exhibition, scroll down a bit on my blog, or follow this link for the art exhibition invitation.