History

VANSA was formed by leading figures in the visual arts sector from across South Africa in 2003 in response to the absence of a national structure that could represent the interests of the sector and systematically and constructively address the historical imbalances (in terms of access and opportunity) that continue to characterise the sector.

VANSA Today

The Network has positioned itself as being a body that pursues five key areas of activity:

• Promoting and supporting networking and the sharing of information and opportunity within the visual arts sector
• Creating a variety of platforms for the sector to discuss critical issues and opportunities for the sector
• Facilitating opportunities for the professional development of visual arts practitioners in relation to the evolving demands of professional practice in South Africa and internationally
• Consulting with the sector, and where necessary, conducting researching into critical needs within the sector
• Constructively engaging government and the private sector with regard to government and corporate policies which impact on the sector, and identifying and pursuing areas of mutual benefit

What do we do?

• Governance
  VANSA is a voluntary association governed by a constitution and registered as a non-profit organisation with the Department of Social Welfare. It is in the process of registering with SARS for tax exempt status and is presently considering the option of registering as a section 21 company.
  Please click here for a full version of the constitution of VANSA.
• Co-ordination
  VANSA is co-ordinated through regional committees who meet, for the most, regularly. Two representatives from each committee sit on a national executive committee, which also has representation from membership-based organisations within the visual arts. The National Executive Committee can invite other individuals or organisations onto the NEC at its discretion. The latter meets four times a year and communicates and takes decisions via telephone and email at other times. Each committee is made up of volunteer members - all of them leaders in many respects and active members of the visual arts community. A National Co-ordinator has been contracted who is responsible for driving the realistion of the organisation’s plans and programmes at a national level. Provincial co-ordinators are contracted on the basis of available resources within a region to drive initiatives and programmes at a provincial level.

Some of the things we have done 

• Established a national office at the Bus Factory in Newtown, Johannesburg hosted the first Visual Arts Conference in a democratic South Africa in February 2006
• Convened the Robben Island Curators Workshop in November 2007, with participation from established and emergent curators from across South Africa and Africa, and with keynote speakers from Nigeria, Senegal, the United Kingdom and Switzerland
• Lobbying the SABC regarding cutbacks in arts programming
• Lobbying the national Department of Arts and Culture regarding the conduct of sectoral research
• Lobbying regarding the closure of the Visual Arts Department at the (now) Durban University of Technology
• Inputting into the policy development processes of the Western Cape and KZN provincial governments
• Guest-edited edition an edition of the Artthrob website
• Obtained support from the Western Cape Department of Economic Development for a Western Cape VANSA office and programming
• Representation in Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape

Aims & Objectives

VANSA’s aims and objectives as stated in its constitution are:

1. to provide a national forum and organisational base for visual arts practitioners, creative artists working within the visual arts field, curators, gallerists, museums, technical, administrators, educators, art historians and critics, organisations, institutions and service providers in the visual arts industry (eg art material suppliers, framers, foundrys etc) to debate, set an agenda, and act in their respective and collective interests within the visual arts.
2. to provide the tools or access to the tools - information, technology, skills and expertise, etc - required by the visual and creative arts sector to best create, produce, market and distribute their work, locally, nationally and internationally.
3. to provide sympathetic, constructively critical forums and advisory mechanisms to support visual and creative arts practitioners and organisations/formations in their creative processes, organisational practices and in the general challenges they face within the contemporary cultural milieu.
4. to serve as a united front to lobby government - at national, provincial, metropolitan and local levels; the private sector, parastatals, funding agencies such as the NAC and provincial arts councils, the lottery, and other relevant agencies, in the best interests of the visual arts sector as the need arises.
5. to promote transparency, accountability and sound financial and organisational management within the arts and culture sector, particularly among conduits and recipients of public, international and private sector funds; to investigate, or cause to be investigated allegations of corruption, misappropriation or mismanagement of funds and resources, and to take appropriate action where necessary.
6. to promote and defend the interests of visual arts practitioners.
7. to promote co-operation and unity within the arts sector and particularly in the visual arts sector in the country.
8. to acknowledge and publicise successes and achievements or significant contributions to and in the visual arts sector.

Membership

There are roughly 1000 members nationally.

Sign up now and be kept abreast of VANSA’s activities.