Making the arts work for all communities

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BUSINESS NEWS - The inaugural Social Impact Arts Prize is well out of the starting blocks and the deadline for submissions is a month away.

Workshops have been held in centres around South Africa – and the enthusiasm of creatives from a myriad of backgrounds has been astounding – artists, architects, scientists, landscapers, environmentalists, poets, sound artists and musicians, stargazers… you name it!

The number of attendants and their insightful questions has reaffirmed that placing creativity at the centre of a social impact initiative and exploring the arts' potential for social change, is a much-needed programme – and that there is no better place to make it happen than in the magical town of Graaff-Reinet.

Given the positive response we've received to some of the case studies presented in the workshops, we thought we'd give you an idea of how an artist from Chicago has employed the arts as a tool for societal change.

Theaster Gates creates new spaces for communities in the economically depressed area of South Side Chicago. He has rehabilitated numerous abandoned buildings – such as a former bank which he bought for just one dollar – and transformed them into vibrant art hubs for community use, like a cinema, library, dance and music centre.

Working in areas where whole populations, except for a few, had departed, his work isn't only about social regeneration. It visibly demonstrates the power of the arts to give hope and even employment to those left behind. If you have a creative, impactful and meaningful idea that has the potential to motivate, inspire and can be a catalyst for change, visit socialimpactartsprize.org to register your interest and be the first to get all the new information.

The deadline for submissions is a month away.