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Fine Arts community project in the Karoo pushes boundaries

By Rulanzen Martin


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Some of the work during the exhibition held in Richmond. 
Photo: Supplied

Community art may have acquired a new dimension through the Insider Outsider – Learning from Richmond art project of the Department of Fine Arts at the university.  

First international learning initiative

The Learning from Richmond project is guided by Dr Janine Allen-Spies, Abrie Fourie from Modern Art Projects South Africa, and Katharina Hohmann who spearheads the project. “It is the very first international learning initiative that the Department of Fine Arts has embarked on. The aim of the project has always been to complete the exchange by affording UFS students the opportunity to visit Geneva for a similar art-making residence,” said Miné Kleynhans, Senior Assistant Officer in the department. 

This open-approach project between the department and Option Construction is described by Kleynhans as “where students from two parts of the world meet to explore and respond to the intriguing specific context of Richmond (Northern Cape) and its surroundings.” She also highlighted that the project is modelled on the concept of a ‘residential knowledge exchange’, which has made learning multifaceted and integrated, with living, cooking, and sharing meals together.” 

Views different from their own


The project opened up art-making practices and cultural spheres beyond the confines of Bloemfontein and South Africa, thereby exposing them to and building their confidence to participate on international artistic platforms.

“Students from two parts of
the world meet to explore
and respond to the intriguing specific context
of Richmond (Northern Cape)
and its surroundings.” – Miné Kleynhans

“Participating students and lecturers were exposed to views on art-making and lived experiences vastly different from their own,” said Kleynhans.  It pushes students beyond their personal boundaries concerning language, culture, skills, medium, and collaboration, which will have far-reaching consequences for their creative development.

This difference allows for an opportunity not to copy or imitate, but to reflect on their own perspective from a vantage point that they previously did not have access to. Assimilating difference, newness, even with tension, is invaluable to creative minds and to the learning process. “It is important for the artistic outcomes and depth of insights gained from the exchange, which surpassed expectations,” Kleynhans said. 

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