The ArtbankSA annually considers acquiring special art for its growing collection. Project Manager, Nonto Msomi, explains who can submit their works, what the selection committee will be looking for, and what they do with the art once selected. 

The Art Bank of South Africa (ArtbankSA) is a national programme of the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture and is hosted by the National Museum in Bloemfontein, an agency of the department. They are tasked with purchasing artworks from South African artists, particularly of emerging artists to lease and sell the artworks to South African government departments, private companies, and private individuals.

The selection criteria that all artworks must meet to qualify for acquisition are:

To be produced by a contemporary South African artist.

• A South African citizen or
• A permanent resident of South Africa
• The artist may be living in South Africa or overseas as long as at least one of the above-stated criteria is demonstrable.
• Where the artwork is produced by an artist collective or collaboration, no less than 50% of the contributing artists must meet the criteria.
• Artworks that are produced by established and emerging contemporary artists from urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, represented by all the nine provinces of South Africa will be purchased.
• Only artworks that are technically sound, resistant to deterioration, and easy to handle (not fragile) when being stored, installed, packaged, and transported will be purchased.

Applications and more information can be downloaded here: https://artbanksa.org/artbanksa-2023-annual-acquisitions-call-to-artists/

The deadline for submissions is 17:00 on Friday 14 July 2023. All completed submissions must be emailed to submissions@artbanksa.org and info@artbanksa.org

NO PHYSICAL ARTWORKS ARE TO BE SENT