Member News

Mankind AIDS Arts Awareness (MAAA www.maaango.org)
and ActALIVE will be co-hosting an exciting project called
"Life School Safari".

The Life School Safari project, subtitled "Glocal Caravan to HIV/AIDS Awareness", will involve students, artists, educators, nonprofits, and health activists bringing creative workshops and arts projects on HIV/AIDS topics to schools and related venues.

We will be focusing both locally and globally, and will organize activities both on the ground and in cyberspace. We plan a thorough networking of individuals and organizations, both in local and national circuits, as well as global circuits across countries and continents.

The Art and Social Justice Conference will take place in Durban, South Africa, 21st March - 24th March 2010. The conference will be held in conjunction with the "Dialogue among Civilisations" exhibition, opening on the evening of the 21st March 2010 at the Durban Art Gallery.

Art for Humanity will be holding its 1st international conference in March 2010. The conference will be hosted by the Durban University of Technology in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

The 2010 Art and Social Justice Conference will address a range of critically important issues and themes relating to use of the arts in promoting human rights and social justice in society. Plenary speakers will include leading thinkers and practitioners in the arts, as well as the health, justice, and education sectors.

Paper, workshop and colloquium presenters will be drawn from researchers and practitioners in all fields of artistic engagement. The objective of the conference is to serve as a platform for art practitioners and organizations to share experiences drawn from a variety of international contexts, to discuss mutual concerns and find solutions to commonly experienced challenges.

The conference aims to arrive at a concrete set of resolutions which can be developed into a policy document about the role of the arts in effecting social change, cultural development and equity.

We have invited practitioners and academic researchers with an interest in art and social justice--who critically examine relevant works in the fields of literature, visual arts, music and performing arts--to submit a presentation proposal for one of the following parallel session options: a 20-minute paper; a 60-minute workshop; a jointly presented 90-minute colloquium; or a virtual session.

We have encouraged innovative presentation formats, such as roundtables, staged dialogues, screenings and performances. Parallel sessions are loosely grouped into streams reflecting different perspectives or disciplines. Streams will include Open Space Technology sessions conducted by the renowned writer, William Cleveland, who is the founder and Director of the Center for the Study of Art and Community, and an informal forum for focused discussion of issues and themes arising during the conference.

In line with the hosting institution’s commitment to applied research, the conference has particularly called for papers that explore theoretical avenues to the credible evaluation of public art and art projects directed at advocacy. This dual approach, which will be evident throughout the conference, is intended to bridge a crucial gap which frequently divides scholars and practitioners in the arts.

This conference, and the "Dialogue among Civilisations" exhibition, has been granted UNESCO Patronage. UNESCO Director General Mr. Koichiro Matsuura wrote: "This major event...involving the collaboration between artists and poets...is consistent with UNESCO's principle objective as regards the promotion of intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity. It will no doubt contribute to emphasizing the unique role of the arts as a means of dialogue, communication and understanding...giving its aim of promoting ethical values through artistic expression and creativity...".

The "Dialogue among Civilisations" project is a unique print portfolio that juxtaposes responses from visual artists and poets on issues of social justice. The project involves collaboration between artists and poets from Africa, Europe, Americas, Asia and Australasia on the theme of identity, land, object and belief. The art and poetry resulting from the project will be employed in a public advocacy campaign against racism and xenophobia, highlighting especially the plight of refugees.

The exhibition arising from this project will open on the 21st March 2010 at the Durban Art Gallery. For more on the exhibit, see:
http://www.afh.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=278&Itemid=116
http://asjconference.dut.ac.za/exhibition.aspx

Who should attend?

Art for Humanity members and affiliates
Independent researchers and academics in a range of disciplines
Members of NGOs in the broad fields of art and social justice
Activists and members of civil society groups
Members of arts funding and arts representative bodies
Representatives of Ministries of Culture
Local government representatives
Policy makers in the fields of arts and social justice
Arts educators and administrators
Artists
Members of private foundations
Corporate sponsors
Persons with an interest in arts support
Members of advertising agencies involved in using art in public educational campaigns
Media agencies and members of the press
Gallery and museum curators

Art for Humanity believes that in its rich diversity, culture--and art being an essential expression of culture--has intrinsic value for development, social cohesion and social justice. Art being a primary form of cultural expression, created with the intention to be viewed by humanity at large, also serves as an indicator of the social and cultural development of culture and society.

Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only in respect of economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. Cultural diversity is thus an asset that is indispensable for poverty reduction and the achievement of sustainable cultural transformation essential to sustainable development.