The Atheneaum is currently playing host to 67 beaded works of art. The art was commissioned by the Mandela Bay Development Agency and each of the 67 pieces represent a year and a quote by Nelson Mandela. The MBDA is also going to publish a book with pictures of the artwork and the quotes and is also still deciding where the beaded pieces will find a permanent home.
The ArtEC gallery in Central is one of those institutions that really go out of their way to support local artists and they have a new exhibition just about every two weeks. The mural of locals that has been done on the side of the building has become a bit of a landmark in the area and many visitors and passersby stop to have a look at the colourful art piece.
Visiting the Ron Belling art gallery is always a highlight for me. His nautical and aviation paintings are absolutely amazing and what makes it even more remarkable is the fact that he was self taught. Most of his aviation paintings were done against a historic Port Elizabeth background and I love travelling back in time with them. We are really fortunate that we have such a fantastic collection of his paintings on display in the gallery in Park Drive.
Richmond Hill has truly become one of the "in" places around Port Elizabeth and looking at the restaurants, cafes and pubs in the area it isn't hard to understand why. A week or so ago a friend asked me if I've ever been to Cafe Ruwach and on answering no we headed over there straight away for a look. Cafe Ruwach isn't just an ordinary... Well, it isn't ordinary. As you enter they have a sign stating the following: "We are not a…
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum consist of two buildings flanking the main entrance into St Georges Park. In the foyer of the right hand building the figure of Thobeka welcomes visitors to the gallery. Thobeka is a work of art by artist Willie Bester and consist of welded recycled metal. She was purchased by the museum in 2002 and has been on permanent display in the foyer.
The old Fisher's building in the Port Elizabeth city centre may have close links to Fischer's Jewellers in the city, but isn't used as a jewellery shop anymore. The old jewellery showroom has been revamped by the owners and is used as a gallery and shop for art, ceramics and glass ware.
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum (previously the King George VI Art Gallery) currently has a very interesting exhibition going called Coastal City. The majority of the pieces on display are historic and fairly old, but that is what I loved about it. My favorite painting on display is one done by Thomas Baines in 1853 called "The British Settlers of 1820 Landing in Algoa Bay".
A lot of artists like to settle somewhere close to the coast, in the mountains, a forest or a little town in the Karoo to draw inspiration from their environment to channel into their art. Then there are people like Ayanda (Aya) Mji who lives in the heart of the New Brighton township of Port Elizabeth and who draws her inspiration from the African landscape around her. She uses animals, birds and even her dreams to create some of the most interesting ceramic art…
As today is National Heritage Day here in South Africa, I want to feature the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum which is situated at the entrance to St Georges Park. The museum was opened in 1956 and was formerly known as the King George VI Art Gallery. The collections are housed in two buildings flanking the entrance to the park and consist of South African art (particularly that of the Eastern Cape), British art, international printmaking and Oriental art (including…
EPSAC is currently hosting an Watercolours exhibition by the East Cape Watercolour Association. I popped in on Friday to have a quick look and was quite impressed with some of the work on show. For anybody looking for the perfect Christmas gift for an art lover, this is the place to come and buy something. And best of all are the prices. The majority of the paintings range from about R150 (US$18.50 or 12.50 British pounds) to R450 (US$56 or…