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Century City has launched an Arts Trail, initially comprising 24 exhibits, in and around the 250 hectare precinct.
Most of the exhibits are outdoors and range from the Impromptu Pavilion in Century City Square celebrating South Africa’s diversity and its 11 official languages to sculptures by Right Mukore to the Station Walkway and its graffiti artwork welcoming pedestrians from the Century City Station.
There are also a number of scientific and technological exhibits. Some of these exhibits have been commissioned by various corporate citizens of Century City and executed by community-based and other artists
The only inside works of art at this stage are four exhibits including two sculptures in Canal Walk and the Century City Conference Centre Art Collection, an exciting array of Afro-centric art pieces from sculptures to photographic works and vibrant oil paintings which are united around a loose theme of people and communication. Certain of the pieces were acquired at charity auctions and the entire collection was donated by the developer of Century City, the Rabie Property Group.
The Century City Arts Trail is being spearheaded by the Century City Arts Foundation, an independent, Public Benefit Organisation (PBO non-profit company), formed by Rabie Property Group and the Century City Property Owners’ Association (CCPOA), the non-profit company responsible for the day to day operations of Century City which represents all stakeholders in the burgeoning Century City precinct.
The art trail is open to the public free of charge.
At a function to launch the Arts Trail this week, John Chapman, a director of both Rabie and the CCPOA and chairman of the Century City Arts Foundation, said the Rabie Group had a strong commitment to giving back to the community. This was evidenced in both the work and resources it has ploughed into Sinenjongo High School in Joe Slovo Park (an RDP housing estate and informal settlement down the road from Century City) in the past decade as well as its commitment to the Intaka Island Eco Centre in the heart of Century City which runs an outreach environment education programme.
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“We also believe Art is an essential component of any city as it helps provide a soul to the bricks and mortar, and in recent years we have worked closely with the CCPOA to form the Century City Arts Foundation to promote both performance and visual arts within Century City.”
Chapman said while still in an embryonic stage, the Arts Foundation had achieved some milestones with its support not only limited to the visual arts.
“Over the past couple of years, the Arts Foundation has organised and run Art on the Island, which comprises a variety of exhibitions and creative kiddie activities, as a complementary attraction to the Century City Natural Goods Market which is held during the summer months. These Community Art events have ranged from Fine Art, to African Art and Curro Century City school art exhibitions, to pottery and music workshops, Easter egg painting, to puppet shows to mention just a few.
“In addition, for the past two years Rabie has sponsored the spectacular Valentine Under the Stars concert with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and top South African musical talent on Century City Square. This year, Absa joined Rabie and the Conference Centre as a co-sponsor, a partnership we would love to see extended into other art areas.”
Chapman added that additional exhibits and partnerships were being sought so that they could continually add to Century City Arts Trail, keeping it alive and fresh to encourage members of the public return again and again to enjoy the exhibits.
Hard copy brochures of the trail are available. For details contact CCPOA on 021 5526889 or go to www.centurycity.co.za
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