02 Apr 2019

In its endeavour to help artists enhance recognition and connection with the audience through marketing their artistry, Thapong Visual Arts Centre held a three-day artist workshop in Francistown.

Thapong Visual Arts workshop facilitator, Ofemile Montsiemang said the workshop focused on skills development and craftsmanship of an artist, and also encouraged them to participate in the centre’s annual artists’ competitions.

He said their three year contract with Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) ensured that they hosted two competitions which are; Thapong Artist of the Year Award (TAYA) and the BTC phone book competition for students on an annual basis.

“We have a very good partnership with BTC which benefits artists. They are now in a better place to win significant amounts of money and have the opportunity of visiting other arts centre’s in different parts of the world,” said Montsiemang.

Additionally, Montsiemang said through the competions, artists could network, exchange ideas and get better inspiration from other artists in order to grow in the creative arts industry.

Moreover, he said the competitions were applicable to both citizens and non citizens who resided in the country, hence the countrywide workshops.

He urged artists to be exceptional because the competition’s themes were the same, thus individual artists should present unique artworks.

He further said nothing was new under the sun, and that to have an artwork that was distinctive, an artist must research, compare and contrast information they found and mind map their ideas.

“Be mindful of the artworks you bring before the judges. It should not cause confusion on how it should be displayed. Your presentation should be clear and ready to be displayed,” he said.

Montsiemang advised teachers, who also attended the workshop, to guide pupils and not do everything for them.

“You should rather be a bad artist, but a good teacher,” said Montsiemang, adding that doing everything for pupils would only kill their talent and not enrich it.

He also said although creative arts was not flourishing in the country, the gradual growth was promising and therefore urged artists to aim for international heights.

“Talented as you may be, you still need education so that you are aware of what is happening,” he said.

The Copyrights Society of Botswana (COSBOTS) licensing officer, Kefentse Hubona said COSBOTS negotiated on behalf of members for royalty rates.

Hubona advised artists to be familiar with the visual artist rights and protect their intellectual property to avoid having their it stolen. Ends