Published June 06, 2022
Javett Art Centre at University of Pretoria advocates for the care of cultural heritage as a knowledge resource towards advancing forward looking intentions in our society. We invest our maximum capacity in new knowledge cultivation through creative processes, including knowledge integration beyond artistic practice. As a young country both in democracy and in age demographics, we recognise the plight of young people who continue to dream of unlimited possibilities, but the inequalities and inequities as currently experienced contributes to their vulnerability.
Culture as a way of life becomes a real accessible foundation that offer moments of belonging and critical contestations for many of our youths. We are inspired by these diverse types of resilience and agility we observe daily in myriad self-created and at times resourced cultural spaces and fluid platforms. It is an inspiration to our thinking processes around how art centres such as the Javett-UP could be major contributors to the progressive and innovative developmental endeavours for this country.
We continually reflect on histories and roles that art centres played during the difficult times of our country and region as far back as the 1970s. They played a very important cultural role by providing access to training, resources, materials and critical information through exciting networks during the time of turmoil and apartheid fuelled restrictions. Many overcame the inhumane system of apartheid due to the quality of such experiences that restored dignity and enhanced resolute.
As we mark 46 years anniversary of the Youth
Uprising of 1976 at our Art Centre, we again borrow values of significance from
the legacies of art centres of our past. Intergrading them into our
contemporary contexts for mobilisation and interface with varied publics. We
have curated these events of possibilities that encourages dreaming with
critical consciousness, while we engage issues and ideas through inter-generational
activations. We honour youth resilience that we continue to witness in this
society that is still is its post-apartheid transitioning. We celebrate
opportunities presented with hope for restoration of our collective dignity in
this contested democratic free society. Art in these times allows us real
moments of dreaming and reimagining our futures.