PRINCE ALBERT OPEN STUDIOS

Summer Edition: 31 December 2021 To 02 January 2022

www.princealbertopenstudios.co.za

Deidre Maree at her Prince Albert studio.

The pared-down Summer Edition of Prince Albert Open Studios offers a special way for art lovers to begin the New Year. It begins with the official opening of the Group Show, which takes place at the Prince Albert Gallery on Thursday 30th December at 6pm. Then, for the next two and a half days, studios will open to the public, allowing for personal interactions with the participants and relaxed viewing of their newest work.

There will be something for everyone, as visitors take a gentle meander through the widely varied studios of some of our local artists and spend time hanging out with them, getting to know the person behind the art. Find out what motivates them and how they go about creating their personal brand of artistic expression.

Collette Hurt: “I love collecting, and work with found materials and upcycled ‘junk’. My signature pieces are Bull and Buck horns, made from repurposed objects. I take great pleasure in my work, which involves frequent foraging missions, tetanus shots, and a scrapyard in the back yard!”

Deidre Maree: “I fell in love with the Karoo on our very first visit there. It inspires me to create paintings that show its sometimes-overlooked beauty, to capture its imperious silence and this allows viewers to become lost, briefly, in something bigger than themselves.

Currently this exploration of the “secret beauty and infinite variety” (Eve Palmer) of the Karoo is based on the images taken after light rain had fallen, and the veld responded almost immediately with a profusion of easily overlooked tiny wildflowers – a magnificent blessing.”

Di Johnson-Ackerman (guest artist

Paul Ackerman): Di is well known for her printmaking, both linocut and intaglio etching and aquatint, as well as her nostalgic, lightbathed acrylics of Karoo doorways and stoeps. “I am very pleased to say that I have a number of new etchings and paintings to add to my portfolio which will be on show at the Summer 2021/2022 Open Studios.”

Di Smith: As a late starter and with no rules to break, I ‘fearlessly’ express my thoughts, feelings, ideas and experiences in a wide variety of non-verbal ways.

Wabi Sabi - the Japanese aesthetic of finding beauty in things incomplete, imperfect and impermanent probably best sums up my love of found objects that I use in my sculpture and assemblage. All I really want is to continuously get lost in the creative process and I would love my work to evoke some thought, emotion or comment by the viewer.

Di van der Riet Steyn: Jewellery designer and manufacturer Di’s work frequently features locally found porcelain shards. “In a ‘dorp’ which is rich in history, one often walks nose down in the veld, searching for that piece… bits of karoo blue and red shards. I wonder who used that piece of crockery 150 years ago? Someone else’s precious plate or cup, treasures in the ground, discarded in the garbage heap. These little gems are wrapped in pure silver and transformed into wearable Karoo Blues”.

Erika van Zyl: “I am an impressionist landscape artist, working in oils. I prefer to work en-plein air and alla prima. I do larger works in studio, using plein air studies as reference. The unspoiled raw landscape and lovely old buildings of the Karoo speak to me, and I am always thinking of the story behind a painting. I paint what I see and hope to speak to my viewer in such a way that they can have the emotional connection I had when they look at my work. Painting the light is my main intention and I’m forever in search of that in a scene.

Heleen de Haas: Internationally known calligrapher and conceptual artist Heleen has a different outlook on the concept of Open Studios. Her farm, Aswater, is her canvas, and visitors experience a guided journey through its large-scale land art routes and creative features. She uses the written symbol to convey motion, sound and meaning in ways that go far beyond recognised words.

Joshua Miles: has exhibited his paintings, reduction woodcuts and linocuts widely for the past 25 years and now divides his time between Scotland and South Africa. Joshua’s inspiration comes from Japanese linocuts and the impressionists’ style of mark-making and he is drawn to capturing how light moves over landscape. Karoo Looms: Sophia Booley welcomes you to visit the weavery, which has been handweaving rugs and fine weavings to the trade and public market, nationally and internationally, since 1983. Offering a range from traditional to contemporary design, Karoo Looms works closely with its clients in supplying of the best quality mohair rugs

available in South Africa, rugs that add aesthetic value to homes and businesses alike. Meet the ladies behind the highly skilled craft of hand-spinning and handweaving, while gaining knowledge on the process involved in producing an authentic Karoo Looms weave. Striking Metal: Fusing ancient techniques with traditional and contemporary design, artist blacksmith Kashief Booley has adorned many homes and buildings with his signature work. The forge was established in 2001, producing exclusive bespoke, mainly architectural metalwork. Now focusing more on his own creativity and product, Kashief welcomes you to visit his forge and showroom, where you will experience and learn more of this ancient craft and his works.

Kevin de Klerk: “I have done extensive research into the psyche of the human race using wild animals as a vehicle to express the similarities between man and beast. I am particularly drawn to the mysterious behaviour of African Wild Dogs and Hyenas. I use these two species as metaphors for the complexities of being human and everything that comes with it.”

Maruanda Wynne: Thread artist Maruanda Wynne and her husband moved to Prince Albert earlier in 2021. She specializes in embroidery and hand quilting under the name Hartlap. “I prefer to use fabric that had a previous life as a curtain, cushion cover etc. My favourite to work with is vintage Sanderson’s fabric, which is now very hard to come by. With my embroidery, I emboss a single flower, preferably a rose, in the same colour contrasts and compilations one would use with paint in a painting. The whole process is “painting” with thread. It is very time consuming, but the richness of colours and the texture it adds to the fabric makes for a unique art work.”

Prince Albert Community Trust: A community-based initiative which hosts exhibitions at the POP Centre. The featured artists are: Elcado Blom, from Leeu Gamka, who paints in oils. Selwyn Maans and Nathan Maans, who do photography. Jeffrey Armoed, who does wire art. Prince Albert Gallery : Hosts the Prince Albert Open Studios Group Show, featuring a work from each participating artist.

Guest artist Lisl Barry: “I believe that art, in any form, is vital to opening our eyes anew to the world around us; to make us see everyday things or situations in a way which we may not have previously experienced and, with regards to my own work specifically, to reflect upon our relationship as humans to the environment - on a local and global level.”

Sue Hoppe: “Moving to Prince Albert three years ago has impacted strongly on my art. I’m enjoying newfound freedom, surrounded by incredible light and space, so my current work has morphed into a celebration of ‘Karooness’. I seek to express the essence of the Karoo, relishing the paradoxical contrasts which define this place, from small details to huge open spaces. This coincides with a shift in materials and methods, building on what went before, from oils and photographs, to coloured encaustic wax and shellac.

Turid Bergstedt:

Turid has been making kaleidoscopes since 1992, after completing her studies in Fine Art, Journalism and Photography at Rhodes University.

Her passion for kaleidoscope manufacture is not only the science and mathematics involved in the process, but that the making puts one in touch with oneself. “While viewing it, both sides of your brain are used, and it puts you into a trancelike state. It helps with problem solving and creativeness. Everyone sees something different and every time you look in a kaleidoscope you see something different. It can give you a fresh perspective on a problem.”

Watershed Gallery: Celebrating Africa, the Karoo and all things beautiful, Watershed comprises of four interlinked showrooms of art and interior design, situated inside a beautifully restored Victorian house typical of the architecturally rich town of Prince Albert. Along with an impressive collection of local and international art, including that of Kevin de Klerk and J.P. Meyer, Watershed houses selected prints of world-renowned photographer Jürgen Schadeberg.

Open 9am-1pm and 3pm-6pm (Sunday 9am-2pm)

RUPERT MUSEUM

www.rupertmuseum.org

At the bottom end of historic Dorp Street, on the banks of the Eersterivier, is what appears to be a whitewashed cellar set in a vineyard. It is actually the Rupert Museum, home to a superb collection of modern South African art from 1940 to early 2000.

The Rupert Museum houses the private art collection of well-known South African industrialist the late Dr Anton Rupert and his wife Huberte. An electrical short at the Rupert home, that almost caused a fire, led to Huberte Rupert’s decision to establish the art museum. She commissioned the building in 2003, choosing Hannes Meiring as the architect, who is known for his love of historic architecture.

To many art lovers a highlight visiting the Rupert Museum has been the exhibition of JH Pierneef’s Johannesburg Station Panels – considered to mark the highpoint of his career. This national treasure, the property of the Transnet Foundation, was relocated in 2009 from Graaff-Reinet to Stellenbosch where they now fill one of the four galleries at the museum.

Pierneef was commissioned by the then South African Railways and Harbours to paint panels depicting places of natural beauty and historical value for the new Johannesburg Park Station in 1929. The architecture of the concourse specifically included spaces for the panels to be affixed. This determined both the size and number of the panels – 32 in total.

As of 2018 granddaughter Hanneli Rupert has taken over the mantel with a dedicated vision to make the museum an inclusive space for the community. The short and intensive renovation project that started October 2018 had a firm goal in mind “a museum without walls”. Since the reopening of the Rupert Museum in May 2019, the museum has featured various exhibitions, relooking and rehanging the known favourite works inclusive of the Johannesburg Station Panels.

The museum’s public programmes includes a diverse spectrum of activities for everyone. Programmes include the vibrant Museum Saturday’s (taking place on the last Saturday of each month) that boosts artist talks, walkabouts, master and kid workshops, a pop-up menu for the day from the Museum Café and live music with tastings ranging from wine, whiskey, beer and champagne. Our next Museum Saturday will be on 29 January 2022. Join our newsletter to be the first to know about our upcoming workshops & events.

For those looking to get more active – Yoga Thursday’s might just be the thing for you. Presented from the MakerStudio every Thursday, 13h00 – 14h00 (bookings essential), if you are working from home or not close by, no problem, these classes are also streamed live. Find out more by visiting our social media pages.

The vibrant Museum Café is open for all to enjoy. On Tuesdays & Thursdays students can present their student cards and enjoy our coffee & breakfast special for R50. The library is a space that promotes literature and offers a quiet space for studying and working. The library, gallery spaces, café and MakerStudio can also be hired exclusively for a meeting, presentation, training, workshops or private functions. View our VENUE HIRE tab on our website to find out more.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Museum Intern to join our team!

Rupert Art Foundation Internship Programme

Internship position available: Museum Assistant

Deadline: 12 January 2022

We are offering an 11-month, paid internship at the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch from 1 February 2022. The successful candidate will work closely with the museum’s curatorial team in the areas of art collections management, exhibitions, tours, media, marketing and events. There will also be an opportunity to assist in developing educational and general public programming. The range of duties will give the candidate valuable experience and exposure to a wide variety of museum related roles.

To find out more visit www.rupertmuseum.org and head to CONTACT US to view the requirements.