THE Z-FACTOR ART IN ZAMBIA AGENDA

Post by Bert Witkamp

Published 31 August 1015

Below a list of art activities that in my view would make the Zambian Art World a more interesting and functional place to be in – and would do better justice to the art made in this country and the people who make it happen.

It is a short-medium term itinerary – mostly just ideas but some of these are presently practically worked on.

Detail of drawing by Aquila Simpasa (Chongwe collection).
He was one of the pioneers of modern art in Zambia,
yet his work and life are not documented.

1. EXHIBITIONS. A trilogy of exhibitions of Art in Zambia in social context by generation: 1960-1980, 1981-200, 2001 to present. Objective: provide comprehensive overview, build up historical awareness and understanding.
Requires booklet and educational activity for schools. 
The exhibition should be designed to travel to suitable venues in Zambia; in any case the Livingstone Art Gallery and the Lusaka National Museum. A slimmed down variant could perhaps be displayed at smaller facilities.

2. “THE INSIDE OUT HISTORY OF ART IN ZAMBIA.” An art history of personal accounts by those (or their associates) who made the Zambian Art World. Intended as Internet publication on a dedicated website or as a component of:

3. THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF ART IN ZAMBIA. Promoting this project was the idea behind the Art in Zambia blog I started in 2011. I now have decided to go ahead and presently am working on it in an as yet unpublished form.

4. Revise the N’GOMA ART AWARDS. Presently annually four prices are given out: 1 for 2-dim artist, 1 for 3-dim artist, 1 for female artist and one for upcoming artist. Zambia does not have sufficient artists for so many annual prices and the N’goma awards are not sufficiently funded to award artists with a substantial price. I’d say 1 substantial price annually is enough and better, rotating the current schedule. I don’t know if it still makes sense to have special prices for female artists – perhaps female artists by now are equally well positioned as the men. A substantial price, I would say, starts somewhere in the order of K 50,000; enabling the artist to work for some time without financial worries and possibly purchase art equipment and materials.

There are other issues, perhaps of greater importance but probably more remote in realization. Yet some of these need to be named.

1. On top of the list is the need to have a genuine art CURATOR: I mean someone having an MA in a combination of Art History (with major in Zambian art by research and thesis) and Museum Studies (including preservation). It is appalling that we have several art collections, now located at the Lusaka National Museum, without an art professional = curator looking after these collections.
2. A dedicated ART MUSEUM / CENTRE. The LNM never was designed as an art museum and is not well suited for such.
3. Such museum could be placed in an ART PRECINCT (as proposed by Gwenda Chongwe and supported by others). A concentration of art/cultural facilities and activities by itself has a stimulating allover effect.

Invitation to participate in the 2013 Exhibition of Arts and Crafts of the Southern Province of Zambia

Choma, November 8th, 2013.

It’s time to get ready to participate in the 2013 edition of the Choma Museum Exhibition of Arts and Crafts of the Southern Province.

Like last year the exhibition shall be organised by myself (Zamfactor Ltd) and the Choma Museum Art Gallery. Contact person at the Choma Museum is Peggy Himoondo, phone 0977-661 411.

Items on display should be made in the Southern Province of Zambia or by artists and artisans hailing from that province and be works of art, applied art or quality crafts.

Photo of 2012 Arts & Crafts exhibition

Participants shall be promoted on the Choma Museum Art Gallery website, the Zamfactor Ltd. website and facebook.

The Choma Museum commission is 25% of sales value, the mark-up on the artist’s or artisan’s price therefore is 33.3% or 1/3.

Works for sale should be submitted as of 15 November up to 24 November, exhibition to open tentatively 30 November 2013 and to run until end of January 2014.

Please confirm participation/interest by return mail with CC to chomamuseum@gmail.com

Cheerz &  “MAKE ART WORK.”

Bert Witkamp

Zamfactor Ltd.

phone land line++260 +213 220 364

phone mobile   ++260 +955 533 644

mailto:zamfactor@gmail.com

www.zfactorart.com

http://artblog.zamart.org

http://chomamuseumartgallery.weebly.com

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The Choma Museum Art Gallery Electronic Newsletter no 5

 20 September 2013

Editor: Bert Witkamp

1          COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

The Choma Museum e-mail address is: chomamuseum@gmail.com. Mail to that address will be read by Mwimanji N. Chellah, executive director of the CMCC. Peggy Himoonde is in charge of the Art Gallery. For information about the ongoing CM Art Gallery exhibition you may also contact Bert Witkamp at zamfactor@gmail.com. The Choma Museum Art Gallery website is: chomamuseumartgallery.weebly.com. It is small but keeps you updated about what is happening in the gallery. The site gets visited about 10 to 15 times daily – more than the average physical visits of the gallery. This newsletter is also published on the ZamArt Blog and the art gallery website.

2.         CURRENT EXHIBITION: GRAPHIC ART OF ZAMBIA

The Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs and 

CMCC ED admiring a silkscreen print by Lutanda 

depicting a traditional event.

This is the third exhibition of the Choma Museum Art gallery this year. The official opening took place on August 21^st 2013 and was performed by Professor Nkandu Luo, Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs. She was accompanied by her two deputy ministers – indeed it has been some time since the CMCC has been visited by three ministers for a single event.    Professor Nkandu Luo in her well informed opening speech expressed appreciation for the manner in which the museum had been setup and was clearly genuinely interested in the institution and its exhibitions. Exhibition organisor Bert Witkamp explained how the exhibition was structured stressing the pioneers of artistic printmaking in Zambia. CMCC Executive Director Mwimanji N. Chellah guided the Ministers, their entourage and invited guests through the CMCC premises, building and exhibitions.

After the Shot. Lino cut
by Patrick Mweemba.

The event was well covered by ZANIS and Andrew Mulenga writing for The Post. Andrew’s article is in the Saturday Post of August 24 2013 and can also be read and seen on his blog named Andrew’s Hole in the Wall by clicking on the link below:

http://andrewmulenga.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html

Roy Kausa, art writer and Board member of the Lechwe Trust, also covered the event (on 11.09.13) and had photographs posted on the CNN i-report website.

Bert Witkamp has designed a leaflet providing information about Zambian printmakers and a brief outline of graphic art in Zambia. This information can also be accessed on the Choma Museum Art Gallery website (click on the current exhibition tab), the ZamArt Blog and the Zfactor Art Site (click on IT publications).

This exhibition, in a sense a sequel to the 1996 graphic art of Zambia exhibition by the same institution, may very well be the most comprehensive Zambian graphic art exhibition ever. Almost all major graphic artists are represented. On sale are both recent and older prints. The older prints, made in the seventies and eighties, include increasingly rare prints by Tayali, Cynthia Zukas, Lutanda Mwamba and members of the Lusaka Artists Group. The display runs till end of October.

3         PREVIOUS: WOMEN IN ART – art by or about women

The exhibition opened March 2^nd and closed about August 10^th 2013. It attracted about 1,000 recorded visitors. Sales amounted to K 10,000.  

4          MEMORY LANE

BaSyabbalo

Today (20.09.13) Mr Enock Syabbalo came to see the museum. He is one of the pioneers of what now is the CMCC. In the early eighties he was working for the Gossner Mission in the Gwembe Valley where he was in charge of the crafts activities of the mission. This activity was adopted by the Netherlands government in 1988 as a development project and developed to what today is the Choma Museum and Crafts Centre Trust Ltd. In 1987, now 25 years ago, it was the Society for the Gwembe Tonga Museum and Crafts Project. BaSyabbalo was its first employee. He is, needless to say, an expert of Gwembe Tonga culture.

5          FUTURE ACTIVITIES

Roy Kausa suggested that this exhibition should move on to the Lusaka National Museum to be combined with a graphic art workshop for secondary school pupils. Sounds like a good idea. The CM Art Gallery as yet has not developed a plan for its next exhibition.

Note: You are welcome to notify art events for posting on the Choma Museum Art Gallery website or ZamArt Blog by using the any of e-mail addresses above.

Choma Museum Art Gallery Newsletter no 4

The Choma Museum Art Gallery Electronic Newsletter no 4

28 July 2013

 Edited by Bert Witkamp

1          COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

The Choma Museum e-mail address is: chomamuseum@gmail.com. Mail to that address will be read by Mwimanji N. Chellah, executive director of the CMCC. Peggy Himoonde, public relations officer, is in charge of the Art Gallery. For information about the forthcoming CM Art Gallery exhibition you may also contact Bert Witkamp at zamfactor@gmail.com. The Choma Museum Art Gallery website is: chomamuseumartgallery.weebly.com. The site is small but keeps you updated about what is happening in the gallery. It gets visited about 5-10 times daily – pretty much the same as the average physical visits of the gallery. This newsletter is also published on the art gallery website.

2.         HOW COME THE GRAPHIC ART OF ZAMBIA EXHIBITION IS NOT YET ON?

One outcome of the impromptu elevation of Choma to provincial capital of Southern Province was a frantic search for offices of provincial departments that were threatened with severe sanctions – their chief officeholders that is – if they continued to dillydally about their forced move from the fine historical town of Livingstone to nondescript Choma 180 km up the road. One outcome of the frantic search for offices in Choma was a letter written by the neighbour of the Choma Museum telling its director to move the Choma Museum out of the building, the former Beit Boarding School for Girls dating back to 1927, and to do so within 14 days as of the date of writing of the ominous letter.

            In most countries it is unusual to demand that a museum moves out of its accommodation within a fortnight, even if the demander is the legitimate landlord - which is not the case here. It was also wrong in principle as the entire building had been renovated by the Netherlands government in the understanding that one part would serve the District Education Office and the other the museum and crafts project now named the Choma Museum and Crafts Centre Trust Ltd. You can find the historical details – we are talking 1987 to 1993 - in the relevant post of the ZamArt blog.

            Remarkably the director of the CMCC and me were in Lusaka at the time when the matter was reaching a climax. I was in Lusaka to collect art work for the Graphic Art of Zambia exhibition, both from a private collection and from artists. The CMCC director, M.N. Chellah, was in Lusaka to appear for the parliamentary committee dealing with museums. It provided him with an excellent opportunity to defend the Choma Museum position and accommodation. The friends I was staying with are long time supporters of the CMCC and they also alarmed and mobilised parties to stave off the eviction of one of the two private museums in Zambia out of the accommodation it had paid for in full.

            The matter, by the way, landed on facebook including a facebook group called BaTonga of Zambia. Some of their members were willing to take to the streets in defence of “their museum.” And indeed their museum it is, and of others as well! (In passing I note that Zambian museums should come to understand that they also are in the 21^st century; and should use the means at hand of our time and age; and Internet is in the forefront of them).

            Thanks all of you for support and encouragement!

Though these matters caused a lot of excitement in an otherwise rather dull museum existence they negatively impacted on planned activities and especially the Graphic Art of Zambia exhibition. Things got delayed. Chances were slim that the Choma Museum neighbours would carry their lunch boxes to the art gallery room and throw its art works out on the streets, yet this was not really a conducive atmosphere to do all the things that need to be done to get an exhibition up and into place. Apparently the situation cooled – the how’s and what’s still are shrouded in mystery – and therefore preparations have resumed. See below at 4 for more.

3         CURRENT EXHIBITION: WOMEN IN ART – art by or about women

Nachisungu. Print by Lutanda 

The exhibition opened March 2^nd and has been extended to the beginning of August for reasons stated above. The number of recorded visitors to date is about 900 – a number that should rise in the future, with better publicity and museum sign posting. Sales to date are in the order of K 9,000. Unfortunately visitors often need to insist to see the exhibition as they might find the gallery doors closed due to lack of staff attendance, a circumstance also obstructing sales. 

4          EXHIBITION “GRAPHIC ART OF ZAMBIA.”

Gossiping women. Woodcut by Tayali.

As mentioned above preparations for this major exhibition have resumed -  the opening now tentatively is scheduled for 10 August 2013, depending on availability of GoH. On display: drawings (ink or pencil) and prints of Zambian artists and artists working in Zambia. With work by: David Chibwe, Fakson Kulya, William Miko, Lutanda Mwamba, Bert Witkamp, Patrick Mweemba, Peter Gustavus, Cynthia Zukas, Agnes Buya Yombwe, Jonathan Leya, Henry Tayali, Patrick Mumba and Aquila Simpasse. Work on display is submitted by artists and private collections. The CMCC managed to secure a bit of financial support from local banks - consoling thought after recently having myteriously lost Kr at a local ATM. I am busy framing and mounting pictures and the accompanying leaflet is well under way. Rest assured the exhibition will be great, stressing the initiators and founders of printmaking in Zambia and their worthy successors.

5          MID AND LONG TERM PLAN FOR ART GALLERY

In a previous newsletter I mentioned that it is time to come up with a Practical Plan for the Choma Museum Art Gallery; a plan that has vision, is feasible, inspired and inspiring, of this time and age, puts the gallery on solid economic ground, and of course: MAKES ART WORK. In fact, there has been no reaction to this – perhaps yet another signal that it is time that also museums in Zambia should realize that they are in the 21^st century and should start using the means available to them. I mean the Internet – and that does not cost money. All that is required is the desire to do so; a mindset that is up to date and updated. You can set up a website for free and the technical knowledge to do so can easily be mastered by a secondary school kid.

Note: You are welcome to notify art events for posting on the Choma Museum Art Gallery website or ZamArt Blog by using any of the e-mail addresses above.

Choma Museum Art Gallery Electronic Newsletter 3

29 March 2013

1          COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

The Choma Museum e-mail address is: chomamuseum@gmail.com. Mail to that address will be read by Mwimanji Chellah, executive director of the CMCC. Peggy Himoonde is in charge of the Art Gallery. For information about the forthcoming CM Art Gallery exhibitions you may also contact Bert Witkamp at zfactor@zamtel.zm. He also is the editor of this newsletter. The newsletter is published at the  Choma Museum Art Gallery website chomamuseumartgallery.weebly.com. It is small but keeps you updated as to what is happening in the gallery. And, of course, on the ZamArt Blog.

2          PREVIOUS EXHIBITION: THE CMCC 2012 X-MASS EXHIBITION OF ARTS AND CRAFTS OF THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE

The exhibition was taken down end of February. It was the first time in a long time that the CMCC Art Gallery had put up a regular art exhibition. A number of organizational issues had to be put into place particularly as regards adequate staff attendance. No visitor records were kept. Sales amounted to about Kr 10,000 of which the institution retained its commission of 25%. The exhibition, all in all, was reasonable successful though it highlighted several issues needing improvement.

3         CURRENT EXHIBITION: WOMEN IN ART – art by or about women

Women at Work. Kalubi. Acrylic painting, 1991.

The exhibition as scheduled opened March 2^nd and shall run till the end of May 2013. On display again is a mix of fine art and applied art or crafts – one advantage being that also visitors with little money can spend some. The number of recorded visitors to date is about 200 – a number that should rise in the future. This time the exhibition had been announced by the Lusaka Lowdown. The gallery should consider opening a face book page; something many art organisations in the region already have done. The exhibition was also published by this electronic newsletter, on the Art Gallery website and the Zamfactor website. Publicity therefore was much better than at the previous exhibition. Another improvement is the labelling which now is neatly printed and the introduction of the visitors’ record.


Nachisungu II. Lutanda, linocut, 1993.

The exhibition itself has a large variety of interesting work to show, in time ranging from the seventies to early this year; from first generation post Independence Zambian artists as Henry Tayali, David Chibwe, Patrick Mweemba, Stephen Kappata, Kalubi and Fackson Kulya to recent residents like Barbara Lechner; from crafts people dipping into the fine arts like Esnart Han’goma Mweemba to well established full time artists like Agnes Mbuya Yombwe, Lutanda Mwamba and Bert Witkamp. In addition to fine art you can also see beautiful jewelry and batiks as well as practical textiles by a Pemba women’s club or plastic baskets and hats made of recycled material by local Keep Choma Clean supporter. And of course, there is the permanent display of work by the Kalcho water colour artists.

4          EXHIBITION “GRAPHIC ART OF ZAMBIA.”

Preparations continue for this major exhibition scheduled for 8 June-September 2013. On display: drawings (ink or pencil) and prints of Zambian artists and artists working in Zambia. With work by: David Chibwe, Fakson Kulya, William Miko, Lutanda Mwamba, Bert Witkamp, Patrick Mweemba, Esnart Meeemba, Cynthia Zukas, Agnes Yombwe, Jonathan Leya, Benjamin Mibenge, Henry Tayali, Aquila Simpasse and Godfrey Setti. Others interested may still join by contacting us by e-mail or phone. Work on display will be submitted by artists and private collections. Major concerns at the present: fund raising for opening, catalogue and other operating expenses, timely publicity, and inclusion in the list of places to visit during the UN TWO conference.

5          MID AND LONG TERM PLAN FOR ART GALLERY

It is time to come up with a Practical Plan for the Choma Museum Art Gallery; a plan that has vision, is feasible, inspired and inspiring, of this time and age, puts the gallery on solid economic ground, and of course: MAKES ART WORK. Any ideas?

Note: You are welcome to notify art events for posting on the Choma Museum Art Gallery website or ZamArt Blog by using the e-mail addresses above.

Exhibition WOMEN IN ART announcement

			The ART GALLERY OF THE CHOMA MUSEUM                       presents       WOMEN IN ART:       art by or about women          from 2nd March through May 2013 paintings, prints, drawings and applied art by: Agnes Mbuya Yombwe, Barbara Lechner, The Malambo Women’s Club, Mumuni Club, Nchimunya Mweemba Witkamp, Esnart Han’goma Mweemba, the Kalcho group, Lutanda Mwamba, Fakson Kulya, David Chibwe, Bert Witkamp, M. Kalubi, Stephen Kappata, Patrick Mweemba and Henry Tayali, Info: e-mail chomamuseum@gmail.com or zfactor@zamtel.zm Website: http://chomamuseumartgallery.weebly.com Mobile: CMCC 0977 323 929 (Director) or 0977 661 411 (P.R.) Organisation: CMCC and Zamfactor Ltd.

The Choma Museum Art Gallery Electronic Newsletter no 2

In issue 2 a bit and a byte about Internet communication and information including a call to subscribe to Andrew Mulenga's blog, and an update on current and forthcoming exhibitions.

19 February 2013; updated 1 March 2013    

1          COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

You and I know that the bulk of Zambian artists are grossly lacking Internet skills and communications. One thing you should subscribe to, if you can (meaning you have an e-mail address) is Andrew Mulenga’s Hole in the Wall. Andrew, as you know, is the reporter/journalist of The Post covering the visual arts. By subscribing to his Blog you get his articles for free. Andrew allows you to benefit from the Internet Revolution – the most important revolution of our time. Go to: andrewmulenga@blogspot.com and subscribe. His articles following subscription are automatically e-mailed to you.

The Choma Museum e-mail address is: chomamuseum@gmail.com. Mail to that address will be read by Mwimanji Chellah, executive director of the CMCC. Peggy Himoonde is in charge of the Art Gallery.

For information about the forthcoming CM Art Gallery exhibitions you may also contact Bert Witkamp at zfactor@zamtel.zm

The Choma Museum Art Gallery website is: chomamuseumartgallery.weebly.com. It is small but keeps you updated as to what is happening in the gallery.

2         CURRENT EXHIBITION

The extended 2012 X-mass exhibition of arts and crafts of the Southern Province of Zambia shall be taken down on 25 February 2013. Artists may collect their work as of that date and verify sales and payments with the accounts. Mr Nchindumba has prepared an impressive spreadsheet on which all sales are/should be recorded. From the same record it can be deduced that the Art Gallery is a museum activity that can pay for itself.

"The Female View." Coloured pencil drawing by Bert Witkamp. 48 x 32 cm, 2013.

3          EXHIBITION “WOMEN IN ART”

This exhibition is scheduled to open 2 March and run up to end of May 2013. On display: Art and applied art made by women and the view of things female by men. Work by: Agnes Yombwe, Esnart Hangoma Mweemba, Nchimunya Mweemba Witkamp, Barbara Lechner Chileshe, the Malambo Women’ Clubs, Mumuni Club, Patrick Mweemba, Bert Witkamp, M. Kalubi, Fakson Kulya, David Chibwe, Stephen Kappata and Henry Tayali. And of course, there is the permanent display of work by the Kalcho water colour artists.

"The Print Maker," Woodcut by Patrick Mweemba. 16 x 45 cm, 2007.

4          EXHIBITION “GRAPHIC ART OF ZAMBIA.”

Preparations have commenced for this major exhibition scheduled for 8 June-September 2013. On display: drawings (in ink or pencil) and prints of Zambian artists and artists working in Zambia. With work by: David Chibwe, Fakson Kulya, William Miko, Lutanda Mwamba, Bert Witkamp, Patrick Mweemba, Esnart Meeemba, Cynthia Zukas, Agnes Yombwe, Jonathan Leys, Benjamin Mibenge, Henry Tayali and possibly Aquila Simpasse and Godfrey Setti. Others interested may still join by contacting us by e-mail or phone. Work on display will be submitted by artists and private collections.

We are doing our best to make this a major show. An action sheet has been drafted with work to be done by Mwimanji Chellah (CMCC E.D.), Peggy Himoonde (CMCC P.R. officer also in charge of the gallery), Mr Chindumba (CMCC accounts) and Bert Witkamp (supporting Zamfactor Ltd. director/consultant/artist). Major concerns at the present: fund raising for opening, catalogue and other operating expenses, timely publicity, and inclusion in the list of places to visit during the UN TWO conference.

5          USE THIS NEWSLETTER AND OTHER MEDIA
You are welcome to notify events or publish info by means of this newsletter, or by posting them on the Choma Museum Art Gallery website, or the Zamart Blog, or the Z-ART & Services website.

Choma Museum Art Gallery Electronic Newsletter no1

25 January 2013

For Art Gallery inquiries contact:

Peggy Himoonde, PR Officer of the Choma Museum & Crafts Centre and responsible for the Art Gallery by e-mail: mailto:chomamuseum@gmail.com

And/or Bert Witkamp, Director of Zamfactor Ltd., by e-mail mailto:zfactor@zamtel.zm

For more Art Gallery info go to: http://chomamuseumartgallery.weebly.com

Dear friends, fellow artists & art lovers

Issue 1 of this electronic newsletter is about: 1) continued cooperation between the Choma Museum and Zamfactor Ltd. in the organisation of art exhibitions, 2) the 2013 Choma Museum Art Gallery exhibition programme, 3) the CM Art Gallery website in development and, 4) this newsletter.

1.   Continued cooperation between the Choma Museum and Zamfactor Ltd.

The cooperation between the Choma Museum and Zamfactor Ltd. (Bert and Nchimunya Witkamp's company) concerning the Art Gallery was initiated by the organisation of the 2012 X-mass Arts & Crafts exhibition is now extended by the joined organisation of two forthcoming exhibitions at the Choma Museum in 2013.

Zamfactor ltd. also set up a simple website specifically for the Choma Museum Art Gallery. Artists participating in CM Art Gallery exhibitions can feature on the site and showcase themselves and their work.

This electronic newsletter is to keep you informed about what is happening at thew Art Gallery and is published by Zamfactor Ltd. in co-operation with the Choma Museum.

2.   2013 exhibition at the Choma Museum Art Gallery

The 2012 X-mass exhibition of Arts & Crafts of the Southern Province of Zambia has been extended to the end of February 2013. Sales, though not spectacular, have certainly not been bad. Three issues emerged from this first joined exhibition. One is lack of museum staff to attend to the exhibition. The Art Gallery door much of the time was closed and visitors had to ask for the door to be opened. This has reduced the number of sales and also is contrary to normal practice. Another is fund raising (sponsorship). This needs to be timely tackled and chances of success may have improved by the promise of Internet publicity! Lastly, promotion came in late – e.g., no appearance in the Lusaka Lowdown. Also in this instance www presence is a bonus. On the positive side we can say without prejudice that the exhibition looked smart, and the objects on display were and are interesting.

The exhibition planned for March to May 2013 is about “things female” or womanhood. Peggy, the Choma Museum member of staff in charge of the Art Gallery, came up with the idea. March 8^th is International Women’s Day. This exhibition especially shall feature female artists and female artisans; best by submitting work that has something female about it – whatever this might be. Male artists may also submit work, on the condition that the art clearly fits the theme of being a woman.

The exhibition planned from June to September 2013 is titled Graphic Art of Zambia. On display shall be drawings in pencil or ink, and prints (lino cuts, wood cuts, etching, monotypes, and perhaps one or two lithographs). Artists working in any of these techniques may participate. This exhibition coincides with the UN World Tourism Organisation which in August partially shall take place in Livingstone. We intend to make this a special exhibition.

Rules for all exhibitions:

a. Commission on sales for the Choma Museum is 25% of the sales price of the work of art.

b. It is cash and carry: the buyer can go with the work at the time of purchase and does not have to wait till the exhibition is over. This is because most art buyers are travellers stopping on their way between Lusaka and Livingstone.
c. Pay out to artists is once a week on Monday afternoon. 

3    Choma Museum Art Gallery website

We have opened up a simple website specifically for the Art Gallery. The address is:

http://chomamuseumartgallery.weebly.com

The site is still under construction but by end of February should be well designed. Artists participating in CM Art Gallery exhibitions can showcase themselves and their work by this site; visitors worldwide can make inquiries about art work on offer; future events can be timely announced, and current exhibitions can be prominently promoted.  

4    This electronic newsletter

This letter is especially meant for those directly involved with Art in Zambia; artists, art lovers and art organisations. The main focus is on exhibitions. It serves to enable artists to participate in Choma Museum Art Gallery exhibitions and promote their work, and to keep art lovers informed of what is going on in this brand new HQ of the Southern Province of Zambia. This news letter is send by e-mail to interested parties and published on the Zamfactor ZamArt Blog. Once we have fast internet into place it will have its own place at the CMAG website.

Choma Museum X-mass Arts & Crafts Exhibition (2)

The 2012 X-mass exhibition of Arts and Crafts of the Southern Province of Zambia opened December 1^st and runs till the end of January 2013. The previous post reported the opening of the exhibition; this sequel is about the art work on display.

 Agnes Mbuya Yombwe (left) submitted intriguing wall hangings made out of painted seed pods and rope; connection tradition with contemporary expression.

Her husband Lawrence Yombwe (right) put up a series of miniature paintings. The imagery is stylized, simultaneously real and unreal, creating a sensation of the of the surrealistic and mystical.

Agnes and Lawrence’s work can be seen at their Wayi Wayi Art Gallery at Livingstone, where they also live.

Patrick Mweemba (left) displays his graphic work (lino cuts) and a wood sculpture. His work can be seen at the gallery section of the Tazimani Crafts Centre located about 12 km out of Choma towards Lusaka on the Great North Road. Patrick’s company is Chisungu Graphics. He lives at a farm in nearby Harmony Settlement. Much of his work is inspired by daily life scenes.

Simon Chungu (right) is a Choma resident. He is mostly known for his textile collages, some of which are remarkably evocative. At this exhibition he also shows two dimensional imagery of beadwork.

Sylvia Mwambo (left) is a painter living in Livingstone, currently quite busy with her newborn child and her work at the provincial office of cultural services. This one of her best known paintings.

Bert Witkamp (right) shows a number of mostly older linocuts and new colour pencil drawings. Bert lives at Choma where he also has his office and studio. 
He and his wife Nchimunya own and manage their company Zamfactor Ltd.

Peter Gustavus shows his well known brightly coloured narrative imagery that, so he wishes, needs to be interrogated by the viewer. The viewer thus needs to be provoked into actual sight-seeing. Imagery, he believes, is not just for the eye; it also is food for thought.

Peter and his wife Namo operate Shazula Cultural Forum, which since Sunday December 9, 2012 also has a home art gallery.

The Kalcho group of artists are water colourists, all women; some are good amateurs, others have become professionals and sell work nationwide. Kalcho derives from Kalomo and Choma, the districts in which the members of the group live. The group mostly paints landscapes and wild life scenes. 
On the photo: Agnes Mbuya Yombwe taking in the imagery.

The exhibition runs through December 2012 and February 2013. The Choma Museum is open daily from 0.900 to 17.00 hrs.