AVA appoints new director
by Kim Gurney
Kirsty Cockerill, currently collections manager for the Iziko Art Division, has been appointed the new director of the Association for Visual Arts (AVA) in Cape Town. She takes over from Estelle Jacobs, who recently announced her resignation from the post, on January 7.
Cockerill said she was excited and honoured to be offered the opportunity to lead the AVA on a fresh trajectory. Her first priority would be to engage with the AVA members and the market and to analyse exhibitions over the past few years against specific criteria.
Cockerill said the AVA needed to balance cultural capital against financial sustainability. She added: 'The AVA offers a service to the arts community and the needs of the community change all the time. I hope to leave a legacy that enables the AVA to negotiate its role every step of the way in terms of the art sector's needs but with the strength not to falter when it comes to supporting quality and best practice.'
