USK JOHANNESBURG

from Drawing Attention December 2021

USK NYC

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URBAN SKETCHING IN THE CITY OF GOLD

AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS ‘JOBURG’, SOUTH AFRICA’S LARGEST CITY IS ALSO ONE OF THE 100 LARGEST URBAN AREAS IN THE WORLD. ITS MANY DISTRICTS ARE IN A CONSTANT CYCLE OF DERELICTION AND REJUVENATION, MAKING SKETCHING THERE ENDLESSLY STIMULATING FOR USK JOHANNESBURG. BY CATHY GUTTERMAN

Founded in 1886, Johannesburg, South Africa is also known as the City of Gold, or ‘eGoli,’ the Zulu name originally used by migrant laborers who worked in the gold mines. Known to locals by the shortened ‘Joburg’, Johannesburg is a sprawling city, stretching for miles and blending with surrounding cities and towns. Some members travel 45 minutes or more to get to meetings, so the group is always delighted when more than five or six people show up to sketch crawls.

The original city, with its historic buildings and vibrant communities, is the most interesting venue, but it goes through cycles of dereliction and rejuvenation. The Joburg group organizers must do their research before planning a trip to the city, as some go-to areas have become unsafe, and former no-go areas have been revitalized. For example, in the old fresh produce market district of Newtown, the grain silos we used to sketch have been converted into student flats. When a large shopping center was built next to the highway under which members sketched, the area became less busy, interesting and safe. A new drive to bring Newtown back to life is currently underway.

Outside the old center, the city is a mix of houses with high walls and security, busy townships, and informal settlements as you move into more rural areas. The economic hub of Johannesburg is Sandton, with its futuristic buildings and high-end shopping USk Johannesburg started in 2010 when John Philip and Cathy Gatland began sketching together. They created the Joburg Sketchers Facebook page and soon attracted sketching companions. In 2011 Cathy attended the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Lisbon, where she experienced the wonderful camaraderie across nationalities and wanted to take that enthusiasm back to Johannesburg. Leonora Venter has been leading the group over the last three years, assisted by admins Lori Bentley, Penny Truluck and Lisa Martens. After a temporary move to the Western Cape, Cathy is back and has joined Leonora in running the group.

Membership in USk Johannesburg is fluid. People come to the city for work, but often leave to emigrate or retire. However, there are a few staunch regulars. The group comprises many professionals, including illustrators, designers, architects, educators, IT operators, translators, as well as musicians and artists. When the group returns to sketching on location again, they hope to enlist some young sketchers. Sally Gaule, who lectures at the School of Architecture at Wits University, is encouraging her students to join the group.

malls, and the crowded Alexandra township next door. Sadly, there are huge disparities between extreme wealth and terrible poverty, and everything in between, conditions that have been made worse by the Covid pandemic and recent political events.

A few old suburbs have retained their original character. The Joburg sketchers return here again and again to sketch street events, markets, music festivals and neighborhoods that are full of personality. They also like to sketch at community fundraiser walks and runs, street carnivals and annual events like the Waterkloof Air Force Airshow or Angela’s Picnic, where vintage cars from around the country gather. Jacaranda season, when many of the streets are awash with violet-colored flowers, is a favorite annual time to sketch. Recently, we set a date for the first weekend in November, as this is when the trees come into full bloom.

For many years, USk Johannesburg has been documenting the events of their city through reportage. At a protest against an artwork called ‘The Spear,’ which depicted the then president in an insulting manner, Anni Wakerley and Cathy Gatland entered the throng and sketched the protestors. Some observed the sketchers with suspicion at first but

THE FIRST JO’BURG SKETCHCRAWL, AUG 2010 were quite agreeable when they saw what the artists were doing. During a countrywide anti-corruption protest in 2017, sketchers went to various hotspots around Johannesburg. Fiver Löcker joined a large crowd at Mary Fitzgerald Square in the city, and Leonora Venter visited the Saxonwold ‘compound’ of the notorious Gupta brothers, which turned out to be the site of the most trouble. Luckily, Leonora left before stun grenades were thrown!

2020 was a challenging year for USk Johannesburg, but they managed to hold a few sketch meets in outdoor venues. After the first hard lockdown, they were very happy to get together again at Delta Park, a huge venue where they could safely spread out. They also met in smaller groups of three or four at the Botanical Gardens in Emmarentia, a market in Norwood, and an outdoor restaurant. Zoom meeting suggestions were not greeted with enthusiasm, so the group took part in many of the UskatHome and USkTalks challenges, as well as other ideas posted on their Whatsapp group.

As with other USk Chapters around the world, USk Johannesburg has been anxious to get back to regular meetings and more sociable sketching. As vaccination rates have picked up and

restrictions lifted, they have started holding monthly gatherings again. The first was a joyful spring visit to the gardens of Glenshiel, an historic mining magnate’s home now housing the head office of St John’s Ambulance. They then went on to Riversands Farm Village, which was less well attended but another beautiful day out for those who managed to get there.

f b

NÉVA DUNCAN SKETCHING UNDER THE M1 NEWTOWN

ANTI CORRUPTION MARCH BY ANNI WAKERLEY

ABOVE: BRAAMFONTEIN BY ANN LUDWIG

RIGHT: VICTORIAN GENTS, NEWTOWNJUNCTION BY PAWEL GRADOWSKI

ABOVE: USK JOHANNESBURG –FIVER LÖCKER ZUMA MUST FALL

“The Joburg group organizers must do their research before planning a trip to the city, as some go-to areas have become unsafe, and former no-go areas have been revitalized.

LEFT: FORDSBURG BY JEAN ELPHICK