IN a bid to provide a suitable space for artists who have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, local art lover, Nelly Burrows, hopes to work together with the Kouga Local Municipality and Jeffreys Bay Tourism, to display various artworks along Da Gama Road in Jeffreys Bay.
Burrows, from Jeffreys Bay, who is the director of NGO Advisor, a platform which assists NPOs across the country with various tasks, said, since the start of the pandemic, many talented artists had not been able to showcase their artworks.
In addition, with the temporary closure of theatres and the halting of various art festivals, the art industry and its subsidiary industries had been heavily impacted.
Burrows said, working with various NPOs and receiving feedback from across the country about the state of unemployment, desperation and calls for help, the art sector had been muted and not granted any opportunities.
“The art industry provides an essential part to our soul food, which has been regrettably neglected during COVID-19,” said Burrows.
As part of her way of helping others, under the title “Walk the Art”, she hopes to provide artists with access to an open space, where they can display their work, in all forms and sizes.
“As part of the idea of displaying artwork, I am hoping to help artists find an open space or a large piece of land to display various sculptures, or designs. This will provide an opportunity for the public to walk and interact with the artist or the artwork,” said Burrows.
“This will be very different from the market items which can be accessed across the Kouga region.”
Burrows said the idea was that artists did not have to rent the space, or pay for any marketing and advertising. Instead they could advertise their artwork on their social media platforms, which would hopefully encourage people to visit “Walk the Art,” to get a closer look at their artwork.
She said all artists were welcome to join the initiative, as she believed it would bring in much-needed local tourism, which in turn would create a slight economic boost for artists and the town.
With approval from the Kouga Local Municipality and help from Jeffreys Bay Tourism, Burrows hopes to secure the open area along the sidewalks of Da Gama Road, starting from Tescoma Beach to the main town, which would provide the public with an approximately 4km walk, while they view beautiful art pieces.
In addition to supporting artists, the public would be encouraged to support local restaurants and shops en route.
“Each artist will man their own store, and we will tape each area off, according to COVID-19 rules, and place two lanes to ensure that people adhere to social distancing.
“The public then start at one point and walk all along the Da Gama Road, viewing art, purchasing art, or donating to artists,” said Burrows.
To further help those in need, all profits made at the “Walk the Art” initiative would be donated to local NPOs.
“With each sale made, a required 5% will be requested from the artist. These funds will be distributed to eligible and compliant NPOs in the region,” said Burrows.
She said dates had not yet been confirmed as when the “Walk the Art” would take place and approval from the municipality still needed to be granted.
“Despite these challenging times, I would encourage artists to never give up and continue creating ‘soul food’,” said Burrows.
- For more information, e-mail Nelly Burrows nelly@ngoadvisor.co.za.
