The Mpumalanga Traditional Art Market

(03 Sep 10 - 05 Sep 10)

The first Traditional Art Market took place last year against the picturesque backdrop of the Lowveld National Botanical Gardens with the support of the National Department of Arts & Culture, the Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, Mbombela Local Municipality, Department of Economic Development Environment & Tourism, ABSA Bank Mpumalanga, Museum Africa (Gauteng) South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Santa Fe International Folk Art Market (New Mexico) and the Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC).
The event, which takes place during the Heritage Month of September, features over 30 Traditional Artists and Artisans from the whole of the SADC Region as well as Traditional Dancers, and is the brainchild of Executive Director Nomvula Mashoai-Cook.
This year, Mashoai-Cook intends to make the Market accessible to an even wider audience than last year and aims to attract significant representation of local and international visitors by harnessing the tourist industry. “The scenic province of Mpumalanga lends itself to being a travel destination. The Airport at White River runs regular flights between Nelspruit and Cape Town and also allows access to the Kruger Game Reserve and Sudwala Caves,” she says.
This is what you are going to see at Market:
• Basket Weaving (KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape)
• Beadwork  (Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and KZN)
• Muralists (Mpumalanga)
• Traditional Fabric and Textile (Limpopo, Lesotho)
• Wood Carvings  (Mpumalanga)
• Mohair and Indigenous Grass Hats (Free State)
• Pottery (Gauteng, KZN)
• Embroidery (Winterfeld NW)
• Jewelry (Gauteng)
• Live Performances
The MTAM director, who underwent training supported  by the Kellogg Foundation at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market in New Mexico, is applying the expertise she gained in the United States to  showcase the very best Traditional Art from the SADC Region.
Mashoai-Cook’s focus has been to promote South Africa’s rich cultural heritage gleaned from the various community groups and organizations as a grass-roots means to create economic streams for Artisans.
At the Smithsonian Institution, she developed Program Schedules for the 1999 South Africa Festival Program, “Crafting the Economic Renaissance of the Rainbow Nation”. Mashoai-Cook’s work within the African Immigrant Study Project focused on developing an inventory of the cultural symbols, genres and themes used by community scholars in the public construction of ethnicity for themselves and outsiders.

Her lifelong interest in Arts, Culture and Heritage has expanded considerably.  The six months training in USA, with a generous support from Kellogg Foundation, has prepared Mashoai-Cook to showcase a Traditional Art Market that focuses on the most important people “The Artisans”. Through this Market, hosted at the Lowveld National Botanical Garden, Mashoai-Cook launched and provided an introduction to how a Traditional Art Market can continue to Elevate, Educate and Change lives of Artisans, inspiring Market goers and international visitors to learn and appreciate what southern African Artisans can offer.
The Market’s exhibiting Crafters and Artisans have to adhere to strict selection criteria: There is a need for Art that is steeped in tradition, using skills which have been handed down from another generation. Work needs to be original, not copied, nor commercially manufactured. “These are Culture Bearers,” says Mashoai-Cook, who also underlines the vital role training plays in ensuring that their traditions do not die out.
Another highlight this year is that the nearby Riverside Mall has provided MTAM with a shop for the sole purpose of marketing and highlighting the upcoming Market event. Entrance to the Market will be R20 for adults, and free access will be given to children up to the age of 12 years. For our stakeholders, as well as the media, a Pre-Market teaser event in Gauteng will be held at Museum Afrika  in August 2010 - by invitation only. For further information, please visit www.mtamsa.com or contact Teresa at Litha Communications on 011 480 4922.