eBusiness Weekly
Arts Correspondent
There is growing increase for the need to support art, not only for the benefit of arts institutions, but for the growth and promotion of local talent and preservation of culture and heritage.
Art institutions play a major role in the society as they try by all means to preserve art and material culture that has formulated our history from centuries back to the present.
On that basis, they cannot do it alone as they need support from the totality of the society. There are many ways in which the rest of the community can play a role towards supporting artists and art.
One of these, in the National Gallery of Zimbabwe’s case, is the Friends of the Gallery. A number of galleries worldwide have this organisation devoted towards supporting art via fundraising initiatives. Being part of the Friends of the Gallery entails that one is willing to come up with ideas which can help uplift emerging local artists, and preserve or expand the permanent collection that is housed in the gallery.
Individuals who are part of the Friends of the Gallery are usually passionate individuals willing to devote their time towards contributing their ideas towards the development of the art institution.
They can play a significant role in the collection of art and this could through social or financial acts.
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe has its own Friends of the Gallery Committee. The Committee which usually has a total number of 12 members, though they vary from time to time, has contributed towards the organisation’s Permanent Collection.
One could define the Friends of the Gallery as an association established to raise funds with the interest of collecting art on behalf of the institution.
Since its establishment in 1989, it has worked towards providing financial assistance through various activities such as Art Auctions, Food Fairs, Galas and Balls. As an independent association, it has attained many successes over the years.
One of the committee members of the Friends of the Gallery, Merilyn Mushakwe, stated in an interview that the need to be involved in the art scene influenced her to be part of this non-profit making association as this gave her a chance to network with influential individuals and also participate in events with them.
One of its strengths is that it has managed to work well with other artists through fundraising projects. Over the course of the years it has established several fundraising projects and one of these was a campaign dedicated towards raising awareness around the hazardous state of wetlands.
The Friends of the Gallery, during this campaign worked hand in hand with local artists and provided dust bins which were bedecked with artworks intended to stimulate an interest towards art and also stimulate the environmental awareness.
Through these campaigns they managed to raise enough funds to house a number of artworks and upgrade facilities housing the Permanent Collection.
A former member of Friends of the Gallery stated: “My primary intention when I joined the association was to play my part in supporting artists that were in need of it”.
The support of art institutions has a positive impression on the development of local communities and society.
The Friends of the Gallery, as an association, gets to determine which artwork to house and criteria is in place to assess the value and significance of an artwork to contemporary society.
One of the objectives of this association is to work towards acquiring works to increase the Gallery’s Permanent Collection.
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe’s Permanent Collection is a living record of the growth and development of Zimbabwean art from its earliest stages to the present day and acquiring more artworks for this collection helps develop services that are dedicated towards enhancing the value of life offered in the nation.
Friends of the Gallery has managed to acquire numerous artworks for the Permanent Collection from a wide array of artists in media that varies from sculpture and paintings to photography.
In recent years, works by the likes of Victor Nyakauru, Portia Zvavahera and Johnson Zuze, have been inducted into the Permanent Collection by way of the Friends’ impassioned activities.
Events such as the Gallery Art Ball have been facilitated since the organisation’s inception sixty years ago.
Most recently, a Masked Ball was staged and was geared towards engaging the public and corporations towards the development and the upkeep of the gallery.
Being part of the FOG has a multiple of benefits. One gets to have access to exhibition opening, access to mask balls and conferences held by the institution such as the International Conference on African Cultures and entertaining shows such as the First Friday.
Above all t is important to note how the Friends of the Gallery has managed to raise funds towards the development of the Permanent Collection, expansion gallery facilities, the elevation of local art and artists and development of business ties with other corporations.
