Dream chair unite the world
The Hillcrest Aids Centre celebrated the recent sale of their world-renowned Dreams for Africa chair which was sold for R850 000 to a private buyer.
IT was a beautiful morning filled with singing and laughter on Friday at the Hillcrest AIDS centre recent sale of its world-renowned Dreams for Africa chair.
The chair was sold for R850 000 to a private buyer, which is an incredible amount for an artwork.
The colourful, hand-beaded chair has enabled ordinary people and celebrities alike to dream about future possibilities for themselves, and for South Africa, while seated on the chair.
This chair is a beautiful craftwork of more than 160 women impacted by HIV/AIDS from impoverished communities across the Valley of 1000 Hills who generate an income from beading, sewing and crafts through HACT’s Woza Moya income-generating project.
Its sale marks the fulfilment of a dream envisaged by Woza Moya manager, Paula Thomson, when the chair was first exhibited at the 2011 Design Indaba in Cape Town.
“I lay in bed one night and dreamt that a group of women impacted by poverty and HIV/AIDS could create enough money from selling the Dreams for Africa chair to build a big, spacious craft centre to replace the current one which is cramped and bursting at the seams.
“And from this craft centre, they could generate income to feed their families, and empower themselves and many others. This dream is now becoming a reality with the sale of the chair,” said Thomson.
The chair and the exhibition of images of the chair’s travels around the world, is still on at the Longmynd Gallery which is in the Vicky Christina’s building, next door to the AIDS Centre Trust, the new restaurant in Kloof.
On its journey, the chair has raised more than R500 000 towards training and employment-generating projects run by Woza Moya.
Thomson added that the sale of the chair will realise our dream of building a craft hub in Hillcrest which will help create more jobs in the craft sector.
” At present the shop services and assists, 1000 crafters with both training and sales, and we hope with an improved shop and workspace we would be able to increase the numbers of crafters we can assist and create a craft hub.
“The shop sells work on behalf of other self-help projects, non-profit organisations and local entrepreneurs, which in turn supports a further 650 crafters from across KZN. The new craft centre will increase this impact and create many more jobs and income possibilities,” she said.
