The arts industry rule book is here

The Visual Arts Network of South Africa (Vansa), with the support of the Department of Arts and Culture (Dac), announced the launch of the Best Practice Guide for the Visual Arts in South Africa.

The guide was developed out of the need to share and develop industry practices that will support healthy and ethical relationships and transactions between practitioners in the industry. The guide is written to give all those involved in the visual arts an understanding of the practice South Africa should be aiming towards for the betterment of the visual arts. Commissioned by Dac and written by Vansa, the guide is intended to support a growing and strengthening visual arts field.

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The content of the guide is extensive and covers as many fields as possible to be as accessible to all. It covers a range of topics including sales, insurance, taxes, marketing, social media and the rights of practitioners in the field. The director of Vansa, Molemo Moiloa, commented on the importance of the guide. “We are very excited to launch this guide and make it available to the South African visual arts community. The guide is aimed at giving people as much information as possible so that they can take the paths they wish to, equipped with an understanding of where those paths may lead,” explained Moiloa.

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The guide strongly recommends the use of written agreements in all relations for the arts – something that is not yet usual practice for artists and gallerists. The guide also makes a case for ensuring artists are paid in every circumstance possible to encourage the professionalisation of creative work and the betterment of artists’ livelihoods.

The guide is aimed at all practitioners across South Africa and will be available online.

Workshops will be held across South Africa where copies of the guide will be given to participants. These workshops are also free and will give attendees a better understanding of how to use the guide. The workshops are hosted by partners of Vansa throughout South Africa.

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