The Southern African Art Information Directory 2003
by Sean O'Toole
The first impression one gets leafing through the Southern African Art Information Directory 2003, published by Cape Town-based Gabriel Clark-Brown, is of an extensive South African arts infrastructure, this despite its presumed paucity. Of the 357 pages in this comprehensive resource to local and international art opportunities - art organisations, magazines, competitions, residencies - about one-third is devoted to the local, regional context. This is heartening.
Less impressive though is the slender list of internet art resources and artists websites which kick starts the extensive review of the South African Art Infrastructure. But then it was probably this fact that prompted Clark-Brown to compile this resource. "Basically it boils down to one thing," he writes on the idea of art marketing, "if you are going to participate in the making of quality art and marketing yourself, you have to know the context where you are operating in..."
Discerning this context, province-by-province, the SAAID lists the full details of art organisations, libraries with art sections, overseas cultural missions, tertiary institutions with art departments, workshops, art museums and fine art galleries, artists studios, art material shops and framers. Imagine a specialist Yellow Pages and you'll get an idea of the ambit of this publication.
The functionality of this book is obviously determined by its currency, and purchasers of the SAAID are given automatic access to a password protected on-line website (www.globalartsinfo.com). This allows users to read new updates and gain access to a greater, on-line database. An ambitious project, this useful guide is spoiled by a sloppy introduction and overview, penned by the publisher. It could have benefited from tighter sub-editing in this respect. Doubtlessly though, this publication will have appeal to a range of individuals involved in the broader art market, from practising artist to arts administrators to librarians. For this fact alone it is a valuable tool worth exploring.
The SAAID is published by Global Art Information. For further details on pricing and availability, contact info@globalartinfo.com or Tel/Fax (021) 424 7733.
