November to 3 December 2006
8 November 2006
The date for the Department of Arts and Culture's inaugural Beautiful Things
Crafts Supermarket has been changed. The event, which will be held at the
Bryntirion Estate in Pretoria, will now take place from 29 November to 3
December 2006. Mrs Zanele Mbeki is the patron of the exhibition.
The theme for the exhibition is "women participation and empowerment in the
South African Craft Sector." The Beautiful Things Crafts Supermarket of 2006
replaces the annual crafts Imbizo as a special project to showcase and provide
retail opportunities for South African crafters, particularly rural and women
producers.
The event is the culmination of a selection process that took place across
the country to identify high quality and marketable crafts products. In order
to ensure an integrated approach, national departments, provinces, local
councils and other relevant organisations such as the Media, Advertising,
Printing, Publishing and Packaging Sector Education and Training Authority
(MAPPSETA), Business Arts South Africa (BASA), and the private sector are part
of the project.
The craft supermarket will be used to highlight training, business and
career opportunities in the craft sector. A craft dialogue will be held to map
out a strategic direction of the sector in line with the government's Programme
of Action and the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa
(AsgiSA). A coffee table publication on South African craft products will be
produced and distributed to enhance the marketing efforts of crafters. Mrs
Mbeki will officially open the supermarket on 29 November 2006. More details
and programme will be released at a later stage.
Enquiries:
Mack Lewele
Tel: (012) 441 3083
Cell: 082 450 5076
David Hlabane
Cell: 082 561 9428
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
8 November 2006
