Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa

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Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa

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Building a united, professional, and globally competitive future for South Africa's visual arts industry.

26/10/2026

The Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA) paid a visit to Cape Town to visit Greatmore Studios Trust, Vela Projects and the Norval Foundation. Board Members also met for two consecutive days, one at the Homecoming Centre in District Six and another in Kommetjie to discuss national strategy and implementation plan after the constituency mapping process where data submitted to the South African Cultural Observatory will be analyzed and soon after fed into the National Baseline Report prior official Toolkit development.

Department of Sport, Arts and Culture
Western Cape Government Cultural Affairs and Sport

07/10/2026

A lovely afternoon at Secret Sands Hotel in Glenmore Beach, where the Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa spent time with Robin Broide, owner and curator of the Sands Gallery.

Robin was joined by Sam, a photographer who is currently learning the curating side of the gallery world under her mentorship. Sam shared some beautiful insights from her own journey, from growing up in the rural village of Mzimkhulu to using a digital camera as a way of interpreting and sharing the world.

We had some really good conversations around the sector, exhibition-making, selecting and presenting work, and that important journey from the artist’s studio to the gallery wall.

It was an insightful afternoon, and I think some of these conversations will resonate with many artists, especially those navigating the practical and financial realities of getting their work exhibition-ready.

More to share from this conversation soon.

ArtCuration Curatorship SouthAfricanArt Mzimkhulu

05/10/2026

VACSA was in KwaZulu-Natal for the inaugural coastal edition of Art in the Country, held from 1 to 4 October at Collisheen Estate in Ballito.

Around 60 artists came together, creating a vibrant space for artists, collectors and audiences. What impressed us most was the quality of the work and the genuine appetite to buy art. The Midlands edition recorded more than R2 million in sales earlier this year, and Ballito now brings that momentum to the coast.

Our KZN visit also included KZNSA, The Gallery Lifestyle in Ballito and The Chairman in Durban, where we experienced its art collection, including work by our very own Board Member THOBEKILE, and stayed on for the music by Linda Sikhakhane…

A special shout-out to The Mindful Art Society and Kethiwe Kunene for creating meaningful spaces for people to engage with art.

Thank you to Kathy Jacob, the Art in the Country team, the artists, collectors, partners and sponsors. South African visual art has a market. Our task is to keep building the ecosystem around it.

24/09/2026

EVERY PROVINCE. EVERY PRACTITIONER. BE COUNTED.

South Africa’s visual arts sector cannot be effectively represented if we don’t know who makes it up.

VACSA is mapping the full visual arts ecosystem across South Africa, from artists and sculptors to photographers, ceramicists, printmakers, curators, educators, galleries, organisations, collectives, students and emerging practitioners.

If your work lives in the visual arts sector, you belong on the map.

Every registration strengthens the evidence VACSA needs to advocate, plan, build partnerships and identify where support is needed.

🔥 DON’T WAIT. ADD YOUR VOICE. ADD YOURSELF TO THE MAP.

⏰ DEADLINE: 11:59 PM | 25 SEPTEMBER 2026

👉 REGISTER NOW:
https://vacsa.org/register

📍 FOLLOW THE LIVE MAP:
https://vacsa.org/mapping

See how your province is faring and make sure you are counted.

EVERY PROVINCE. EVERY PRACTITIONER. EVERY VOICE.

18/09/2026

This afternoon at 15h10, VACSA Secretary and Limpopo Representative, Mr. Fhumulani Msandiwa, will be live on Mokopane FM, talking about visual arts mapping, who VACSA is, why mapping matters, and where Limpopo currently stands.

And Limpopo is standing tall.

The province has now reached 173 visual artists mapped, surpassing its target of 170. Limpopo is currently one of only three provinces to have reached its mapping target.

That progress belongs to the artists, organisations, galleries, art centres and communities who have taken the time to make themselves visible.

But there is still work to do.

Waterberg, including Mokopane and Mogalakwena, remains one of the quieter areas on the map. Mapping closes this Friday.

If you know a visual artist, gallery, art centre or visual arts organisation in the area, please encourage them to register and be counted.

Listen live from 15h10 on Mokopane FM, 100.0 FM, or online via iono.fm/s/154

Let’s fill in the last corners of the visual arts map together.

Artists Among Us.

17/09/2026

VACSA Board Members are participating in the Creative Futures Africa Summit in Johannesburg, bringing the visual arts sector into a broader continental conversation on the future of Africa’s creative economy.

The engagements have been insightful and of high strategic value. BASA CEO Beth Arendse presented a compelling vision for positioning Africa’s creative economy within the global landscape.

VACSA Chairperson, Mr. Lentswe Mathole, highlights Capital Activation, finance, bankability and innovative models that address the Missing Middle as key areas of focus.

“Intermediaries are essential infrastructure that enables creative ecosystems to function.”

This raises an important question for the visual arts sector: how can VACSA, as a coordinating body, help accelerate the formalisation of the sector?

One pathway worth exploring is the recognition of artwork as an alternative asset class that can potentially be financed through formal financial institutions.

The conversation is shifting from simply funding artists to building the systems that allow creative value to become visible, bankable and investable.

13/09/2026

Yesterday, VACSA joined artists and creatives at Art-in-the-Park on the KZN South Coast, a regular open-air exhibition that gives artists a space to showcase, sell and connect directly with the public.

It was also a valuable opportunity for us to connect with artists on the KZN South Coast and encourage more artists to get mapped.

Our reporting deadline is 28 September 2026, so wherever you are, whatever your practice, we need you to tell us your story.

The mapping link is in our profile, or visit VACSA to register.

Registration is FREE. Please be cautious of anyone claiming to represent VACSA and asking you for payment to register.

Artists Among Us. Let’s make ourselves visible.

ArtsAndCulture ArtistMapping VisualArtsSouthAfrica SouthAfricanArt

07/09/2026

The Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA) has been on the ground at FNB Art Joburg, connecting with artists, practitioners and the wider visual arts community. For our Deputy Chairperson, Ms Prudence Magagula, “being present in these spaces means listening to the experiences of visual arts practitioners, understanding the contexts in which they create, identifying potential collaborations and helping to ensure that the sector’s diverse voices, practices and needs are recognised and represented.”

As she puts it, “It’s a matter of how do we make ourselves visible?” That question is at the heart of why VACSA is committed to being present, building relationships and making space for the many voices that make up South Africa’s visual arts sector.

A few moments from the team on the ground. We’re connecting, taking it all in and enjoying the art along the way!!

27/08/2026

VACSA ON TRU FM | ARTS & CULTURE FEATURE

This Friday, 28 August 2026, the Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA) will be joining the Tru FM team for an Arts & Culture feature on LunchTime Shandis with Slujah. Our Board Spokesperson and Western Cape Representative, Khanyisile Mvukelwa, will be representing VACSA in conversation with the Tru FM team about the realities facing visual artists in South Africa and the work VACSA is doing to build a stronger, more visible and better-connected visual arts sector.

The conversation will focus on “From Visibility to Opportunity” and the importance of connecting visual artists to the systems, information and opportunities that can support their growth. This includes funding, markets, galleries, residencies, development programmes, partnerships and other opportunities within the creative economy.

Tune in:
Friday, 28 August 2026
13:11
LunchTime Shandis with Slujah
Tru FM | 89.3–107.8 FM | DStv 816 | SABC+

If you are a visual artist, this conversation is for you. Get mapped. Follow VACSA. Stay connected to the opportunities being created for our sector.

Find out more: vacsa.org/sector

TruFM LunchTimeShandis CreativeEconomy

14/07/2026

Only 4 days left to submit your nominations for the National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA) 2026.

This is your opportunity to recognise the artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and organisations whose work continues to shape South Africa’s creative landscape.

Every nomination tells a story. Make yours count.

Nomination guidelines and registration forms are available at: https://naca.dsac.gov.za/

Closing date: 17 July 2026.

Address

Johannesburg

Website

https://www.vacsa.org/

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