Arts and Culture calls South African artists to apply for contemporary artwork acquisition

A call to submit artwork to ArtbankSA

The ArtbankSA, a national programme of the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), is issuing a call to South African artists to apply for their contemporary artwork acquisition.

The ArtbankSA is part of the Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) strategy implementation and is hosted by the National Museum Bloemfontein, an agency of the Department of Arts and Culture. The programme annually considers acquiring special pieces of art for its own growing permanent collection.

The programme was launched by the Arts and Culture Minister, Mr Nathi Mthethwa in 2017 in the Free State Province, and was subsequently followed by a provincial exhibition launch in Durban.

The ArtbankSA was tasked with purchasing artworks from South African artists, particularly that of emerging artists in order to lease and sell the artworks to South African government departments, private companies and private individuals.

The vision of the ArtbankSA is to promote, foster and stimulate a vibrant market for the collection of South African contemporary visual art.

The ArtbankSA will achieve this vision by:

  • Curating a definitive collection of contemporary South African visual art.
  • Promoting financial sustainability for the artists and Art Bank of South Africa through the leasing of art.           
  • Nurturing emerging South African artists by expanding the market for their work and providing skills development opportunities.       
  • Fostering an appreciation for contemporary art by making art accessible to the broader public in their workplaces and shared spaces.

For applications, please note that submissions can be sent via email or post. Artists are also required to meet the following criteria:

  • A detailed submission form is required with each submission. Submission forms can be found on the Art Bank of South Africa Facebook Page and the National Museum Bloemfontein website www.nasmus.co.za
  • Artists may submit a maximum of five original artworks for consideration.
  • Artwork can be submitted in any medium.
  • Artwork must have been created by the artist after September 2018.
  • Artwork must be of a superior quality and representative of South African contemporary art.
  • The artist/artist representative will be required to register on the Central Database System (CSD) and be SARS tax compliant.

The decision of the Acquisition Committee will be final and ONLY successful applicants will be contacted about collection and couriering of artwork to the exhibition venue in due course.

  • Three dimension submissions must be accompanied by images which are sufficient to portray the image in all its dimensions.
  • Clearly indicate the sale price of the artwork including VAT (where applicable) and any other costs.

Non adherence to the above criteria will result in the application becoming disqualified. Only original, ready for purchase, artwork will be considered.

The artbankSA Acquisition Committee

The nine member acquisitions committee will oversee the selection process; approve and make recommendations of artworks for purchase.

Artist are encouraged to be part of this vision and submit their work for consideration.

Closing Date: The deadline for submissions is 12pm on Friday, 12 July 2019. All completed submissions must be emailed to artbank2@nasmus.co.za or posted for ATT: ArtbankSA, National Museum Bloemfontein, 36 Aliwal Street, Bloemfontein, 9300. Queries must be submitted in writing to the artbank2@nasmus.co.za

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