Published December 11, 2020
As an institution affiliated to the University of Pretoria, the Javett Art Centre at UP has a mission to train and develop skills in art conservation, curating, museums and galleries.
We recently hosted Genre Pretorius-Nel, Danielle Oosthuizen, and Kimberley Moolman for three-month internships sponsored by Unicef. As interns, they were hosted variously by the curatorial, education and events departments, with some crossover.
Activities included a curatorial workshop with specialist restorer Ernest Bellingan Scott for hands-on training on art handling, conservation and restoration of artworks. Interns were introduced to the different types of damage (by various elements, including water, fire, insects, light and the environment) an artwork can endure and how to avoid, identify and repair the damage. They were also provided with art handling tips and the importance of the use of correct equipment and materials for museum artworks.
Interns also benefited from a tour guide training session conducted by Professor Karen Harris.
“What specifically stood out for me during the training session was the emphasis that was placed on storytelling practices. Telling stories has been part of humanity since the dawn of the first humans. As a culture we respond to, are captivated by, and appreciate stories. Since this training, I have personally taken on a more “storytelling” approach to my tours, interlacing stories with the facts. Since doing this I have found guests to be more responsive and captivated by the works of art. Because of this approach, guests are also more likely to share their own stories,” said Danielle, whose training focused on museum education.
Unicef funded this initiative based on the enhanced wellbeing, humaneness and resilience derived from appreciating beauty and aesthetics. In relation to art, this applies in many senses. It enriches, heals, and strengthens both those who appreciate works of art and those producing them. It provides its benefits at the time of exposure to both practitioner and viewer, and in advance to the practitioner during training, by instilling resilience for coping with adversity and fostering an enhanced understanding of societal, emotional and other life matters.
The project intended to equip young, potential, early-career individuals with strong foundations, training and skills for embarking on this path, specifically in becoming adept and confident in venturing into the art world.
“I am extremely pleased with the overall results from my internship at the Javett-UP. I learned a lot from the workshops in terms of overall branding, managing events, how to be an effective tour guide and certainly my favourite part was learning more about art conservation. I have previously worked in different kinds of galleries and this was a great experience to add to my repertoire as I have never worked with such a large institution before,” said Genre, who completed a curatorial internship.
“For Genre, the introduction to the museum side of the art world has been invaluable. It was a highlight to see her shift in perspective from mostly viewing the art sector in a commercial sense to now seeing what it has to offer in terms of history, education and community,” said curatorial mentor Shenaz Mahomed.