Since its inception Greatmore Studios has remained committed to advancing & developing the art practice of mid-career artists, representing a cross section of the nation’s creative pulse. Many institutions put a necessary emphasis on initiatives that groom a younger generation of artists, leaving limited opportunities for mid-career artists to engage and share ideas. Greatmore Studios has found its particular niche in challenging mature artists to maintain a high level of momentum and professionalism in their practice.

The forced removals that followed the passing of the ‘obnoxious’ Group Areas Act, strategically suppressed and erased Coloured and Black voices from District Six, relegating them to marginal areas in the City. A new dispensation realised in 1994, encouraged the conceptualisation of the city on the basis of multiculturalism. Today Greatmore Studios stands as a locus for cross-fertilisation of artistic practice.

From 1998 Greatmore Studios has welcomed 252 artists- over 180 of whom boast origins from countries around the continent as well as abroad. This unique setup provides South African artists with a rare opportunity to engage in artistic exchange with artists from very different backgrounds. The collaboration that grows out of these encounters often represents a collusion of an indigenous and imported tastes and sensibilities
.
As a nexus of contradiction and extremes, Woodstock has become a fertile ground for art making. Although in the past it has been considered ‘unsafe’, a place riddled with crime, this view of has not been the experience of many artists at Greatmore Studios. A site for creative exchange and dialogue between artists and new audiences, Greatmore Studios this year celebrates 10 years of meaningful collaborations within the community. Through an ongoing emphasis to raise art awareness in Cape Town, over 4000 people have been impacted by creative workshops and programmes initiated by artists working at the studios.

Poised to enter a new and exciting phase of expansion, Greatmore Studios is ensuring that all new considerations to its future development align themselves with the original ethos and values of the studios. It is proposed that developments will be staggered in various phases, embracing a green building philosophy. For further information on how you can become a part of this initiative please contact

Dr. Isky Gordon I trustee

I.Gordon@ich.ucl.ac.uk

Jill Trappler I committee member

trappler@telkomsa.net