Strauss & co - Wits Art Museum

WITS ARTS MUSEUM ENDOWMENT AUCTION 9 generous contributions of artwork and funds to the museum and, gratifyingly with the increased profile of the museum, these seem to be growing in size and number. However, our ambition extends further: – to be a leading museum of African art, on the African continent. Growing and caring for our important collections, and presenting relevant, varied and high quality, internally and externally generated exhibitions go without saying. But we also want to deliver substantial high quality (educational) programming that addresses the needs of diverse audiences and makes WAM a vibrant, dynamic and popular space for the (visual) arts in Johannesburg. Hollard Insurance has bought into this vision. They have generously committed R3 million to the museum over the next three years. These funds will bolster our human and financial capacity to kick start our public programming and the work towards creating an endowment that will sustain this level of programming after the initial three year period. So this auction is part of an event to launch an endowment for the museum that will support the museum’s diverse activities for the long-term. The endowment will be professionally managed within the Wits University Foundation with a very ambitious target to raise R25 million by 2017. In addition to Hollard Insurance, Bidvest and Peregrine Securities are providing foundation support for our long-term vision to create sustainable additional resources for the museum’s operations. They have generously sponsored the auction event, ensuring that the entire proceeds of the auction go the endowment fund and that it is a wonderful, celebratory event. All the works on the auction have been donated specifically for this auction. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the artists towards the museum. They cite their belief in the importance of WAM and many of them their connections to their Wits alma mater. They have donated works of such quality, that there are many that would be very welcome additions to the WAM permanent collection. We have been assisted by the Goodman, Stevenson and Everard Read Galleries who so graciously and seamlessly organized and sponsored the transportation of a significant number of works to the museum, a number of them coming from Cape Town. Professor Anitra Nettleton and the staff of the Centre for the Creative Arts of Africa have also provided valuable assistance through the research and writing of notes on each artist’s work included. Angie Chapman has assumed the overall responsibility for organising the function. We are immensely grateful to her for her incredible passion, hard work and support for the museum and hugely admire her grace and style. Thanks also to Stephan Welz and the team at Strauss & Co for generously conducting the auction and for providing invaluable back-end administrative services for the auction as well as for ongoing support and advice. We are requesting your support, and inviting you to be a part of our future journey. This is your invitation to invest in high quality art. With a limited number of lots – only 31 – we know that there are many more people who share our vision and support us. We will be requesting contributions to our endowment via pledges. Should you want to support WAM in alternative ways , there are also opportunities for corporate and private sponsors for programmes ranging from R10 000 to R40 000 per annum. These are fantastic opportunities to support the growth of the arts as well as develop brand awareness. They could also be sponsored to honour family members. We look forward to your participation in our celebration and the growth of WAM. Julia Charlton Senior Curator Fiona Rankin-Smith Special Projects Curator Lesley Spiro Cohen Strategy, Planning and Development