Are you a bold, creative talent ready to elevate your art to the next level? The City of Cape Town has opened applications for its annual Emerging Artists programme, an exciting opportunity designed to support, showcase, and nurture emerging creative voices. Meanwhile, the popular Arts Aweh! after-school arts programme is already well underway for 2026.
Now in its sixth year, the Emerging Arts programme creates valuable opportunities for young visual artists, providing mentorship, skills development and exhibition platforms for approximately 200 emerging artists annually, the vast majority of whom are young people.
Through the City’s partnership with the Investec Cape Town Art Fair four emerging artists are showcased each year. In recent editions, these featured artists have achieved sell-out success, demonstrating that when pathways are created, young people will seize them.
The call for participation this year is currently open and will close on Friday 13 February. The programme targets early-career artists seeking practical skills, mentorship, and exhibition experience. Only 25 places are available.
An exhibition showcasing participants’ artwork will be held in May, providing an opportunity for artists to apply their newly acquired skills and to sell their work.
Application details:
The Arts Aweh! programme offers a free creative after-school experience for learners aged five to 17. Activities include drawing, painting, photography, hip-hop, dance, performance, poetry, clay work and beading.
The programme’s popularity is evident in its impressive engagement figures: 64 819 interactions were recorded between November 2024 and June 2025. In this period, 3 173 learners participated across 13 facilities, while the programme created 36 employment opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme.
This year’s programme commenced on Thursday 8 January at various venues in Mfuleni, Pelican Park, Hanover Park and Athlone, already reaching more than 2 000 young people. Additional venues will be added in the coming months, with the programme concluding on Tuesday 26 May.
Participants may attend Monday to Friday from 14:00 to 17:00. The programme is free, with all materials and art supplies provided. On completion, artwork will be exhibited at various City facilities.
“Arts programmes such as these provide young people with safe spaces to learn, express themselves, and build confidence through creativity,” said Francine Higham, Mayoral Committee member for Community Services and Health. “We have seen tremendous enthusiasm for these programmes in the past, and I expect this year will be no different. I encourage learners and aspiring young artists to make the most of these platforms, and I look forward to seeing their creations at the exhibition stage.”
- For more information on the Arts Aweh! programme, send an email to Aleeyah.Baker@capetown.gov.za.
- For more details on the Emerging Artists programme send an email to emerging@capetown.gov.za.
