If you’ve walked along High Street this week, you’re bound to have seen at least one: a child with their face painted white, performing in some way on the sidewalk.
If you’ve walked along High Street this week, you’re bound to have seen at least one: a child with their face painted white, performing in some way on the sidewalk.
But what you might not be aware of is Art Factory – the programme that runs during Fest with the specific intention of assisting these children in their artistic endeavours.
Art Factory was the brainchild of Vuyo Booi, the founder of Grahamstown-based Sakhuluntu Cultural Group, and Merran Marr, the group’s chairperson. They started their work in 2009, when they became aware of the need to support and develop children involved in this type of performing.
Now in its fourth year, Art Factory relies on the willingness of artists and performers to take some time out of their Festival schedules to teach these children a bit about what they do.
“We ask them for an hour of their time to run a workshop in art, drama, music – anything, just to work on the skills that [the children]already have, so that they can reinvent their performances on the street,” said Bronwen Salton, head facilitator of Art Factory.
“Every year, different artists bring different workshops to Art Factory, so we go with what we have.” Workshops are run daily during the Festival and are followed by a hot meal. After lunch, the children take to the streets with what they’ve learnt.
Robyn Perros, a facilitator of this year’s Art Factory, disagreed with the popular opinion that the children are “just delinquent street kids who are up to trouble all the time”. Instead, she emphasised the hard-working nature of the majority of the children with whom she has worked during the past week.
“It’s really nice to bring out their creativity,” she enthused. Art Factory is funded by and supported by the National Arts Festival.
