The Gallery of the University of Stellenbosch (GUS) is currently busy with its annual art exhibition fundraiser, which has supplied bursaries for struggling Stellenbosch University (SU) visual arts students and GUS gallery curators since 2015.
This was according to Louis Jansen van Vuuren, curator at the GUS gallery and an SU alumni. The 2021 exhibition, Verdigris, opened on 21 March and will run until 9 April.
The Gallery of the University of Stellenbosch (GUS), which hosts Louis Jansen van Vuuren’s Verdigris exhibition. PHOTO: James Cameron Heron
The exhibition aims to raise funds through an auction process. The proceeds go towards the GUS gallery’s curatorial internship, as well as SU visual arts students, said Dr Ernst van der Wal, head of the visual arts department at SU.
Covid-19 is expected to have an impact on the revenue generated through this exhibition. But Jansen van Vuuren said he would not be able to sleep at night if he did not continue to hold this fundraiser each year.
“The sales are not as high as last year,” said Jansen van Vuuren. However, the exhibition will still provide support for students in need. It might not be a vast amount of money, but it does make a difference, according to Jansen van Vuuren.
Part of the money goes towards a GUS curatorial internship at the gallery itself, explained Van der Wal. “The rest of the funds are then usually used for undergraduate or postgraduate students who are needy…who are definitely in need of financial support.”
The exhibition plays an important role in the continued functioning of the GUS gallery, according to Van der Wal. But it also supports creative talent at SU as the visual arts department does not have the financial capacity to fund every student in need itself, said Van der Wal.
“We have really promising students, but to support them financially is quite difficult to do. Of course there are bursaries in place, but quite often the support is limited and we can’t support all the students that are in need,” said Van der Wal.
Various artworks participating in Louis Jansen van Vuuren’s Verdigris exhibition. PHOTO: James Cameron Heron
The exhibition is also a valuable learning opportunity for students, according to Rushda Deaney, a masters student in fine arts at SU who received the GUS gallery exhibition bursary in 2020.
“This kind of exhibition did not only help me financially, but taught me how to be a better artist and it is a great exhibition for current and future art students to learn the ins and outs of the art world,” said Deaney.
Monique Biscombe, the 2015 recipient of the exhibition bursary and intern curator at the GUS gallery, looks at one of her favourite artworks by Robyn Pretorius called ‘A Particular Chemistry’. PHOTO: James Cameron Heron