A few students gathered at the Stellenbosch University Botanical Gardens on Wednesday to speak about an initiative called Young Arts Collective.
They assembled to discuss the directions they would need to take with regard to moving forward with the initiative, as well as bouncing ideas off one another relating to their respective artistic crafts.
The founders of the Young Arts Collective, Rabia Abba Omar and Maia Lehr-Sacks have a shared purpose behind the vision of their association.
“As a person who doesn’t study fine art, there isn’t much space for me,” said Abba Omar, and “a person who does study fine art to meet,” said Lehr-Sacks. “There is a big gap between the different art departments across the Western Cape as well as the different creative people within Stellenbosch who don’t have access to one another,” said Lehr-Sacks.
Young Arts Collective had their first gathering yesterday in the Stellenbosch University Botanical Gardens.PHOTO: Facebook
Abba Omar said, “Away from the university institution, this is a group of young, creative people in Stellenbosch who can come together and collaborate with the different types of art genres.”
“They will have events once a month to help people with their art as well as engage with them. “It is open to anyone who would define themselves as creative as it does not pertain to one type of genre,” said Lehr-Sacks. It is an informal setting where you can ‘come and go as you please,” said Abba Omar.
Language and Culture student, Jacana Joy Redcliffe said: “It’s really exciting to have a space where creatives can come together, feed off each other’s ideas and make those ideas deeper and broader. My hope for this group is to share ideas and make them become practical so that the outside people can change the perceptions they have about art.”
Design student, Mishkah Abrahams said: “I have wanted something like this for a while, just to bounce ideas off each other in an informal setting.”
You can contact Young Arts Collective through Instagram and Facebook for more information on the initiative.-Marsha Leitch
The founders of the Young Arts Collective, Rabia Abba Omar and Maia Lehr-Sacks.
PHOTO: Marsha Leitch