We may be stuck inside this month, but that doesn’t mean First Thursdays can’t go on. We’ve compiled a list of ways you can still engage with and support the arts from home.
Image: Katherine Bull ‘Tiger on Highway’ (detail) – showing online at 99 Loop
1 Hour for Art
One of the most powerful aspects of First Thursdays is the ritual of it – same time, same place, every month. With that in mind, consider making 1 Hour for Art this Thursday.
– Set aside any hour (or more) between 5pm and 9pm, and commit to one activity. Do this on your own, or coordinate with friends and family to do it with you.
– The world is your oyster, but to help you along we’ve included some suggestions below, from online resources, to local exhibitions, to films, to ways to support local initiatives through the arts.
Local galleries + online exhibitions
Galleries might be closed, but most still have exhibitions on at the moment, with teams working remotely. Browse exhibitions online, or request exhibition catalogues directly. Below are a few ways to engage with some of these galleries online.
– We’ve updated the First Thursdays website to include the local galleries with exhibitions that are viewable online. Click through to see what there is to see.
– Watch Norval Foundation’s #60SecondArt videos on Instagram – featuring short audio clips about particular works in their current exhibitions.
– Share your own work with Eclectica Contemporary using the hashtag #ETCSharing and they’ll reshare on Instagram.
Online + offline activities
Image: View of MASP’s picture gallery in Paulista Avenue (1970) by Paolo Gasparini © MASP – Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
– Explore some of the world’s greatest art collections on Google Arts & Culture. Zoom into Van Gogh’s ‘Terrace of a café at night’, explore the ‘Picture Gallery in Tranformation’ exhibition at Sao Paulo’s MASP museum featuring Lino Bo Bardi’s original glass easles designed for the museum, or walk around Berlin’s Pergamon Museum.
– Listen to Sean O’Toole’s ‘Music to Social Distance To’ playlist on Spotify (via Artthrob)
– Watch some of the short films from SXSW 2020, which was cancelled due to the global lockdown.
– Aloe Aloe has set up a programme of nightly performances you can livestream from the comfort of your home, giving local musicians a chance to make some dough during lockdown.
– Watch the much-anticipated South African film ‘Moffie’, the release of which coincided with the lockdown. Support the film by purchasing a ticket and streaming it at home.
– Make something – whether drawing, painting, or writing – choose your medium. Consider joining local artist Alice Toich’s #21DaysOfArtSA challenge.
– Watch one of Gary Hustwit’s design films for free – one film is released each week.
– Watch a high definition performance from the MetOpera or the Berlin Philharmoniker (or others you find online).
– Explore Johannesburg’s Standard Bank Gallery in 3D, featuring the exhibition ‘A Resilient Visionary: Poetic expressions of David Koloane’.
Support where it matters
Image: One of the limited edition blankets Goodman Gallery has released in support of the Witkoppen Health and Welfare Clinic
It’s a difficult time for everyone – but there are some great initiatives that make it easy to support people on the ground. Consider supporting local initiatives and businesses in the following ways.
– Goodman Gallery has released a range of limited edition blankets designed by some of their artists, with proceeds going towards Witkoppen Health and Welfare Clinic.
– Food growers that usually supply local restaurants have been left without anyone to sell their produce to. With your R128 contribution towards Food Flow – produce is bought from these growers and distributed to those in need around Cape Town.
– You can also commission an illustration from Rudi de Wet, with a bag of produce distributed through Food Flow for each work.
– Commission a portrait from Koos Groenewald, with proceeds going to CoronaCare.
– Consider supporting your favourite local businesses by purchasing online or buying a voucher to redeem later. While products might only ship after the lockdown, these businesses still have to make sales and pay staff. Some of our favourites include Ogūn, Mungo, Margot Molyneux, Skinny laMinx, Dear Rae, OSCS, Mungo & Jemima and Arthur’s Mini Super.
– Studio H has also compiled a list of independent food businesses that are operating during lockdown.
– For more on-the-ground initiatives in your area, see the Cape Town Together group and find your local Community Action Network.
Stay safe.