Artist Proof Studio

Our mission is to provide an environment to develop people with a common set of values, expressed in the notion of ubuntu, who have talent and passion to achieve artistic excellence. We focus on printmaking and our allied outreach programmes to build capacity of people to reach self-actualisation and make a difference in society.

Vision

Our vision is a professional studio founded on a sense of shared humanity where people of talent and passion can reach for excellence in art-making to achieve self-sustainability.

Objectives

Create a learning centre of excellence that offers accredited qualifications in printmaking
Provide a space where artists and students can gather, exchange skills and share facilities
Implement internships, exchanges and exhibitions to encourage skills-sharing and to enhance its reputation for quality education and training
Generate income by offering professional printing services, public educational programmes and affordable artworks
Partner with community groups and other sectors to broaden outreach and associated income-generating opportunities
Raise the funds necessary to support deserving students, maintain and improve facilities and achieve special projects.

Courses offered

Youth portfolio development.
NQF level 4 design foundation.
Advanced printmaking.
Professional development programme.
NQF 4 product development and design.

Course content

Printmaking, drawing,visual literacy.
Design and product development (sewing and embroidery).
Facilitators’ learnership.
Short courses in printmaking process such as etching, silk screening etc.

We are fully accreditated with seta nqf level 4.

Fees

We have no fee structure as all courses are subsidized. All learners receive bursaries to attend. They are then charged a membership and registration fee of R250 annually.

Fees for short courses range from R350 to R750 per module.

What we offer the industry

Trained printmakers.
Artists for murals.Commissions.
Facilitators and assessors.Sign writing services.
Silk-screening of T-shirts. Design and print of posters etc.
Workshops in Printmaking.

History

The Artist Proof Studio (APS) was founded in 1991 by Kim Berman and Nhlanhla Xaba in response to a call by Nelson Mandela to all South Africans to participate in the building of a new, democratic South Africa able to promote reconciliation, cultural diversity, equality and above all, a culture that celebrates the rights and responsibilities of us all. Located in the Newtown Cultural Precinct, in the inner city of Johannesburg, APS is a not for profit Section 21 Company, registered formally in 1995

The original APS studio burnt to the ground in March 2003, resulting in the loss of all studio equipment, the work of many artists and the tragic death of founder, teacher and artist, Nhlanlha Xaba. With generous support from local and foreign donors, from both the public and private sectors, APS reopened its doors in February 2004.

Targeting aspirant artists and printmakers from under-served communities, APS runs training and learnership programmes developing skills among talented young South Africans, coupled with sustainable income-generating projects.

Additional info

Aids campaign
APS has identified a clear role for art in the fight against HIV / AIDS. We are active in using art as a medium to facilitate awareness campaigns, provide support through networking and to promote positive living. APS has established various initiatives aimed at fighting HIV / AIDS. The Paper Prayers campaign has been an active AIDS action programme since 1998. The Ford Foundation has supported APS to use Paper Prayers in a national campaign providing support and resources to small craft enterprises in partnership with Phumani Paper.

In 2006, Kim Berman (co-founder and director of APS) used the opportunity as a finalist in the Sasol Wax Award to involve 100 artists from APS to initiate an ambitious HIV / AIDS art program and installation that involved workshops, voluntary counselling and testing as well as individual action by each participant in honouring themselves and a person who has died from the pandemic. In collaboration with New Start, a mobile HIV/AIDS VCT Unit, APS offered a week of voluntary HIV testing and counselling, with over 50% of studio members and staff undergoing testing. A number of other Newtown based artists and organizations have since approached APS to host another program involving voluntary testing and counselling. We see this as an opportunity to facilitate more awareness campaigns and testing opportunities, targeting a broader spectrum of Johannesburg artists, which can be conducted at the Bus Factory.