NGZ bemoans females’ low uptake of art

The Chronicle

Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter

ON Friday, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Bulawayo officially welcomed fourteen artists to its seventh Residency Programme where the gallery will be merging youth with experience.

This year only about 21 percent of the artists are female, a development that worries NGZ regional director Silenkosi Moyo.

Moyo bemoaned the slow uptake of art by females and urged women to join the Residency.

“We have few females in the Residency Programme, something that has been prevalent over the years since the inception of the Programme. We are intentionally programming and are on a mission to really fish out female artists in their different spaces but they hide and run away. We urge women to join in and we have even canvassed educational institutions in search of female artists. There is a quota for female artists and we urge them to take up that space, “ she said.

The director announced a programme to groom artists in Residency.

“During the duration of the Programme, you will have the opportunity to focus exclusively on your practice with an emphasis on research and experimentation and the development of new work.

This year’s Residency Programme will be twofold where there will be an engagement stage, which will be aimed at mid-tier to senior creative practitioners who are gaining experience with working with youths and community groups and mentoring them.

The second stage will be the incubation phase, which will focus on new artists who will get their skills honed at the gallery with the idea of polishing their craft, making them visual arts industry-ready. – @MbuleloMpofu

Article Source: The Chronicle

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