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25 Years of Standard Bank Young Artist Awards

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards. These awards are granted to emerging, young South African artists who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their chosen field.

The list of Young Artist Award winners from the past 25 years includes many of South Africa’s most famous and astute creative individuals from the fields of drama, the visual arts, choreography and dance, music, jazz and film. Years after winning the award, these artists continue to add value to culture in South Africa. Many are also stars on the international stage. The awards, a project of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, were established in 1981 by the founding father of the festival, Professor Guy Butler and the then Artistic Director, Roy Sargeant, who agreed that South Africa’s emerging artists needed a special platform at the annual event.

Since then, they have come to be regarded as South Africa’s most prestigious cultural awards. They are presented annually to deserving artists in four to five arts disciplines, affording them national exposure and acclaim. Apart from a monetary award, the winning artists are given the opportunity to create a new work, either to perform, direct, choreograph or exhibit on the main programme of the National Arts Festival.

In celebration of 25 years, Standard Bank has teamed up with Classic Feel magazine to produce a special commemorative issue in recognition of all past winners, which will be distributed to all its subscribers with the regular July issue.

Five Roses initially sponsored the awards, but when Standard Bank acquired the naming rights to the Festival in 1984, it automatically became the title sponsor of the awards. The bank stepped down as title sponsor of the Festival in 2002 but retained the awards due to the significant role they play in developing and promoting South Africa’s artistic heritage.
 
Jacko Maree, Standard Bank’s Group Chief Executive, explains, “As a bank, we try to position ourselves as being relevant to, and make meaningful connections in, the major societies in which we operate. Because we have been such an integral part of South Africa, having been around for 150 years, we do a number of things that show that we have a sense for the society in which we operate. The Standard Bank Young Artist Awards are one very small, but nevertheless integral, part of this aspect of Standard Bank’s vision…the arts constitute one of the core pillars of our connections and involvement within communities.”  

Standard Bank, where possible, endeavours to provide the award recipients with a platform outside of Grahamstown after winning the award. In the visual arts, for example, winning artists are supported through a sponsored travelling exhibition to all the main centres in the country, affording them national exposure. Standard Bank also purchases an artwork from each annual exhibition for display at its corporate head office and other provincial offices around the country.

In the performing arts, artists are often commissioned by Standard Bank to perform at corporate functions and public events. Some musicians have even performed at prestigious events in London, Istanbul, Moscow and China.

Generally, the awards have advanced the careers of the winning artists, but have also been crucial for understanding our cultural history and heritage. The awards played a vital role in promoting democracy and egalitarian values in the field of culture during apartheid. In 1985, for example, playwright Maishe Maponya, received the drama award, and opera singer Sidwill Hartman, took the music award. The first black artist to win the visual arts award was Helen Mmakgoba Sebidi, in 1989. In the same year Johnny Clegg, a staunch apartheid critic, whose work was refused airplay on SABC radio and television, was the recipient of the music award.

The 2009 Festival will offer festival-goers a veritable feast of work by former and current winners. Apart from the new work presented by the 2009 recipients, a 25 year retrospective exhibition, commissioned by the bank, was curated by the late Prof Alan Crump together with Barbara Freemantle of the Standard Bank Gallery. After the Festival the show will transfer to the bank’s gallery in Johannesburg.

Five of the jazz award winners (Andile Yenana, Concord Nkabinde, Shannon Mowday, Mark Fransman and Kesivan Naidoo) together with opera singer, Zanne Stapelberg, will join forces in a special music and jazz showcase.

The ThinkFest will host a panel discussion at which the thinking and artistic processes of some of the Young Artist Award winners will be explored. Hosted by Mannie Manim, former chairman of the Festival Committee, the panel will consist of Janice Honeyman, Andrew Buckland, Sibongile Khumalo, Acty Tang and Kesivan Naidoo.

However, in addition, a new key development as of 2009, is the selection of one of the current year’s winners to undertake a mini tour to a select number of countries in Africa. This initiative is being launched in conjunction with the French Institute of South Africa who through the Alliance Francaise in the respective countries, will play host to the performers. Standard Bank, with its key focus on Africa and the continent’s leading bank with a business presence in 18 countries will, together with its Standard Bank Africa partners, support this project.

The French Ambassador to South Africa, H.E. Denis Pietton, says: “The French cultural network is present on the entire continent. Besides, one of our missions in this country, as requested by the South African authorities, is to help introduce Africa to South Africa and vice versa. Consequently, it felt natural to us to propose to Standard Bank and the National Arts Festival an extension of the Awards. As such, every year, after creating his or her work for the Festival, one of the laureates will be invited on a tour in Africa. We have no doubt that the links created by artists during those tours will transform into many shared projects”.

This year the jazz award winner, Kesivan Naidoo, and his band Babu, have been selected to perform in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya during October. It is envisaged that this venture will become an annual extension of the work by one of the Young Artist Award winners and it is hoped that the network of countries will also increase significantly.

In sponsoring, unearthing and contributing to the development of young artists over the past 25 years, Standard Bank has affirmed its role as a leading sponsor of the arts, and made an enormous contribution to South Africa’s cultural wealth. Not only has it nurtured creative talent and propelled the careers of artists, it has also created role models for other aspiring artists and forged a rich cultural legacy.

ENDS

Note to editors

2009 winners

Nicholas Hlobo for Visual Art
Jacques Eugene Imbrailo for Music
Ntshieng Mokgoro for Drama
Kesivan Naidoo for Jazz
Thabo Rapoo for Dance

Previous Winners

1981 Richard Grant, John Theodore, Jules van de Vijver, 1982 Janice Honeyman, Neil Rodger, Lindy Raizenberg, 1983 Paul Slabolepszy, Malcolm Payne, David Kosviner, 1984 Peter Schütz, Ken Leach Standard Bank - 1820 Foundation 10th Anniversary Special Award: Lamar Crowson, 1985 Marion Arnold, Maishe Maponya, Sidwill Hartman, 1986 Andrew Buckland, Gavin Younge 1987 William Kentridge, Hans Roosenschoon, 1988 Margaret Vorster, Mbongeni Ngema, 1989 Johnny Clegg, Marthinus Basson, Helen Sebidi, Gary Gordon, 1820 Foundation Special Award Pieter-Dirk Uys, 1990 Robyn Orlin, Fée Halsted-Berning, Bonnie Ntshalintshali, 1991 Peter Ngwenya, Andries Botha, Darrell Roodt, 1992 Deon Opperman, Tommy Motswai, Raphael Vilakazi, Kevin Harris, 1993 Christopher Kindo, Sibongile Khumalo, Pippa Skotnes, 1994 Jerry Mofokeng, Sam Nhlengethwa, Michael Williams, 1995 Jane Alexander, Boyzie Cekwana, John Ledwaba, Abel Motsoadi, 1996 Lara Foot Newton, Trevor Makhoba, Vincent Mantsoe, Victor Masondo, 1997 Lien Botha, Geoffrey Hyland, Sibongile Mngoma, Standard Bank Special Award for vision, commitment and contribution, Alfred Hinkel, 1998 David Mudanalo Matamela, Debbie Rakusin, Bongani Ndodana, Nhlanhla Xaba, Aubrey Sekhabi,   1999 No awards made. 2000 Zenzi Mbuli, Gloria Bosman, Alan Alborough, 2001 Tracey Human, Brett Bailey, Fikile Mvinjelwa, Walter Oltmann, 2002 Gregory Vuyani Moqoma, Sello Maake Ka Ncube, Prince Kupi, Brett Murray, 2003 Moya Michael, Yael Faber, Dumisani Phakathi, Angela Gilbert, Berni Searle, 2004 Kathryn Smith, Mncedisi Shabangu, Portia Lebohang Mashigo, Tutu Puone, Moses Taiwa Molelekwa (posthumously), 2005 Wim Botha, P J Sabbagha, Andile Yenana, Mpumelelo Grootboom, 2006 Concord Nkabinde, Churchill Madikida, Hlengiwe Lushaba, Sylvaine Strike, 2007 Acty Tang, Bronwen Forbay, Shanon Mowday, Pieter Hugo, Akin Omotoso 2008 Dada Masilo, Nontsikelelo ‘Lolo’ Veleko, Jaco Bouwer, Mark Fransman, Zanne Stapelberg.