27 November 2014
Four young South African artists were announced as winners of the 2014 Arts & Culture Trust awards at a ceremony in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.
The ACT awards, now in their 20th year, recognise young professional creatives with promising futures ahead of them. The artists must be within five years of their professional careers. Finalists are nominated by the public, and adjudicated by a panel of judges.
This year’s winners are Jade Bowers for theatre, Thabo Makhethe-Kwinana for design, Bevan de Wet for visual art, and Nomfundo Xaluva for music.
Inspired
“We never cease to be inspired by the ImpACT Award winners each year,” said Pieter Jacobs, the chief executive of the trust. “They follow in the footsteps of remarkable artists who have continued to soar to greater heights, not only locally but internationally as well.”
The judging panel was headed by Caroline Smart, ACT Ambassador and creative professional. Other judges were visual artist David Koloane, arts education and heritage activist Nadia Virasamy, 2013 Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre Prince Lamla, culture and craft mentor Eugenie Drakes, and jazz music legend Herbie Tsoaeli.
“The judges look for impressive progress and excellence in both the individual and the impact that they have made in their communities,” Smart said. “ACT is committed to supporting their development path and ultimate success.”
Previous winners of the award include Gloria Bosman, Arlin Bantam, Kamogelo Nche and Tankiso Mamabolo, all of whom performed at the ceremony on Wednesday.
Lifetime achievement
ACT also honours those who have had a lifelong commitment to the arts. This year, a special award was given to Mandie van der Spuy for arts advocacy. Other lifetime achievement awards made this year include Sam Nzima for visual art, Richard Cock for music, Andre P Brink for literature and Richard Loring for theatre.
The Arts & Culture Trust is a funding agency which aims to increase the amount of money available for arts and culture initiatives, and to apply these funds to innovative, sustainable projects that make a meaningful contribution to society.
SAinfo reporter
