The Institute for Contemporary Art Practice presents Snoops & Treks – an Artist Workshop with Professor Elfriede Dreyer: 14 – 18 December at the Gallery @ Glen Carlou.
About Prof. Elfriede Dreyer
Prof. Elfriede Dreyer is an art academic, curator, artist and researcher. She has been working in the domain of South African academia and the professional art industry for more than 30 years. She lectured full-time at Unisa in the Art Department from 1990 to 2003 and was Head of Department there for four years. From 2003 to 2014 she lectured full-time at the University of Pretoria as Professor in both Fine Arts and Art History and specialising in postgraduate studies. She was the Academic Dean at the Open Window Institute from 2014 to 2015. Since 2015 she has been affiliated with the University of South Africa again as an Extraordinary Professor in Visual Arts. She has published widely.
Elfriede has worked with major multi-national organisations and museums and provides art consultation to corporates, embassies and private collectors on art collecting and installation. She also provides curatorial and consulting services and does freelance curating at festivals, galleries and various other venues. She has adjudicated at most of the national competitions such Absa l’Atelier, Sasol New Signatures, The Sanlam Portrait Award and others.
She founded Fried Contemporary Art Gallery in Pretoria in 2005, together with Charles Gijzelaar as partner, which she curated and managed until 2014.
She founded the CAP Institute for Contemporary Art Practice in 2015 and offers workshops, online Short Courses and an online Certificate in Contemporary Art Practice to emerging and established artists.
Workshop Theme
‘New normal’ is a term we have lately become accustomed to. What does it mean? Getting out of our ‘boxes’ of daily normalcy? What is normal? Living our lives in our ‘boxes’ we occupy specific spaces containing operating systems and structures we create ourselves and consistently default to. We feel safe and comfortable there. Until some brutal unexpected (or planned) event shoves us out.
In a different way this is often applicable to artists too. In this workshop, Snoops & Treks, we will consider what is normal for an artist; which are the ‘conventions’; the easy solutions; and the traps artists fall into. You will be introduced to artist ‘snooping’ and we will explore and find inventive ways of thinking, processes and techniques. You will also be guided into ‘trekking’ to become a flâneur and journey away from your ‘box’. The workshop aims to rekindle creativity in thinking and doing, and to find new opportunities in a world outside the boundaries of our ‘boxes’. We will distinguish between fly-by-night artistic practice and a professional art practice driven by meaningfulness, intention and enduring purpose.
During the workshop Prof. Dreyer will teach you how to become a snoop and a trekker: essential coping and production skills for any artist. Some of the questions we will deal with are: What are the advantages and limits of being a curious traveller? What are your proposed destinations and goals? There will be focus on each workshop participant’s individual art production, techniques and thought processes. Advanced experimental thinking and creativity will be cultivated and developed. Each participant will produce at least one new artwork during the workshop.
The programme entails a four-day workshop to be held at the Gallery at Glen Carlou, from Monday 14 to Thursday 17 December. During the course of the workshop, works will be identified for exhibition, to be installed on the 18th (Friday morning), and opening at 12:00.
Exhibition works will be selected and curated by Christa Swart, the Glen Carlou Gallery curator, and Elfriede Dreyer. The exhibition will close on 24 January 2021.
Programme
Every day from 09h00 to 16h00.
Lunch break every day from 12:00 – 13:00.
Monday 14 Dec (Day 1):
Introduction and getting acquainted.
Presentation of Artists Boxes
Creativity methodologies
Tuesday 15 Dec (Day 2):
Snooping Practice
Presentation of Treks
Starting new artwork in any water-based/quick drying medium
Wednesday (Day 3):
Continuing artwork
Assessment
Thursday (Day 4):
Continuing artwork
Assessment
Friday (Day 5):
Setting up the exhibition at 8:30
Presentation techniques and methodologies; labels
Opening of exhibition at 12:00 noon.
Work will be presented unframed.
All artworks selected for exhibition are to be presented for sale.
Pricing will be agreed upon between the artist and the Gallery at Glen Carlou.
Cost
R3500-00 inclusive of a lunch every day and exhibition costs.
Places are limited and will be booked on a first-come-first-served basis.
Contact Christa Swart at [email protected] to book your spot.