Claire Breukel – Curator and writer

In 2012 the National Arts Council awarded me a grant to help me complete my Art History Master’s degree at Hunter College in New York. Up to that point I had been unable to juggle working with the possibility of study and could not have afforded to even consider the workload of this degree without financial support. Thanks to the NAC grant I was able to complete my Masters in 3 years while working part time.

The grant gave me the space and time I needed to get the most out of the CUNY program. The opportunity to study in New York City proved invaluable to my practice as a curator and I continue to show South African artists, among others, internationally—however now with more knowledge of art history and a better understanding of the context in which we find ourselves today. I am forever grateful to the NAC for their confidence and support, and hope to pay it forward by showing artists from South Africa confidently and conscientiously.

David Mahlaba – Managing Director at Phinda-Mzala and Via-Katlehong

The National Arts Council’s continued commitment to providing the arts & culture industry with amazing opportunities and professional services has gained a highly regarded reputation in South Africa.

It has truly been a pleasure working with the NAC’s dedicated and hardworking team who share our passion for helping performing arts, thank you for the first 20 years and were looking forward to many more years to come.

Vusi Dumisani Nhlapo – Writer, Filmmaker, Arts Educator (Creative Writing) and Founder of Talent and Arts Organization

I would like to congratulate the National Arts Council of South Africa in its 20th Anniversary. The NAC has contributed a lot in my art journey, in 2008 I got a bursary to study for the Creative Writing Diploma at the School for Creative in Howick. After my studies I was receiving funds to develop young writers in creative writing in the City of Ekurhuleni (Duduza Township). I really thank the NAC for its support in growing my career. Today I am a Founder and Director of Talent and Arts Organization (TAO) an organization that promotes arts, creative writing, reading, literature art & dance all thanks to the support by the NAC.

Mary Elizabeth Lange – Chairperson

From ARROWSA: Arts, Culture, and Heritage for Peace we send congratulations to the National Arts Council on their 20th anniversary!

Thanks to the NAC’s funding in the past years ARROWSA facilitators and participants from economically and socially challenged backgrounds were empowered personally and communally through knowledge and skills transference by performing applied theatre devised productions in Derry, Northern Ireland; Plymouth, United Kingdom and Lucknow, India and attending intercultural exchange youth congresses in the same cities. These devised productions and the theatre skills learnt at the congresses were then shared with ARROWSA participants in Durban that could not attend the congresses and with schools in the inner city.

The NAC has also made it possible for several applied theatre specialists from the United Kingdom to conduct theatre for social change, physical theatre, and dance workshops with ARROWSA participants in Durban. The pay-it-forward aspect of the NAC funding ensured that the work that they funded continued within the community after the project ended and continues today. The work of ARROWSA towards promoting arts, culture, and heritage for peace through intercultural exchange and the acquisition of skills has been greatly enhanced due to funding from the NAC. May the National Arts Council’s work continue for 20 times 20 years as they continue to back the arts towards transformation in our country!