The Lockdown Collection has paid out over 500 grants – an amount of R1,5 million to date to artists who lost their incomes during the hard lockdown.
South Africa (11 December 2020) – The Lockdown Collection (TLC) is very proud to share an overview of its first eight months of action. TLC has paid out over 500 grants – an amount of R1,5 million to date – from its Vulnerable Artists Fund (VAF) to artists across South Africa. It also donated R250 000 to the President’s SA Solidarity Fund, for the benefit of all South Africans in need.
TLC comprises The Lockdown Collection (the initial portfolio of artworks, all of which were sold in the white glove sale – The Unlocking Event – on 19 April 2020); The Extension Collection and The Student Collection, and more collections are on the horizon.
“The Lockdown Collection elevated art at a turbulent time. It’s not simply paint or pencil on paper – it’s an important and powerful means to reflect on this moment in history. The initial TLC campaign documented the Covid-19 pandemic and life in lockdown, as seen through the eyes of prominent South African visual artists. Less than a month later, the initiative generated funding of over R2 million, through a ground-breaking live-online auction. The success of the initial Collection of 21, set the stage for the follow-up Extension Collection and then the Student Collection – which has given our visual artists greater agency and allowed us to stretch the Vulnerable Artists Fund even further, ” says Carl Bates, one of TLC founders (and the Chief Executive of Sirdar Group).
The Vulnerable Artist Fund not only provided immediate financial support to artists and their families, it allowed them to continue their creative output. “Looking at the current applicants, especially those asking for second or third rounds of funding, their portfolios are extremely strong. This means they have been enabled to be productive and energised as a result of the VAF grants they’ve received,” says Kim Berman (one of the TLC founders; Founding Director Artist Proof Studio; and also Professor of Visual Arts, UJ).
“The funding that I received made a huge difference. It allowed me to buy food and pay for electricity and data. This in turn allowed me to continue marketing my works online for possible sales. I also bought hardwood and started a ‘painting a day’ project on Facebook. The response and support to this project is remarkable. This would not have been possible have I not had the support from VAF to pay for electricity and data,” said one VAF beneficiary.
The Lockdown Collection gave artists international exposure and kudos
TLC raised the attention and applause of the arts community around the globe. Professors Mark Auslander (Research Fellow, Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Studies, Harvard University, USA) and Pamela Allara (Associate Professor emerita, contemporary art and visual culture, Brandeis University, USA) followed the work of TLC closely, providing regular commentary on the TLC artworks on their blog, Art Beyond Quarantine.
“In terms of artistic response to Covid-19, The Lockdown Collection is the most significant initiative in the art world, on planet earth, right now”, said Prof. Auslander.
A little further afield, Dr Janis Sarra (Professor of Law at Canada’s University of British Columbia and also the Principal of the Canada Climate Law Initiative) read about The Student Collection and was inspired. Dr Sarra saw an opportunity for young artists to engage in climate activism, to use their art to raise awareness about climate change and green renewal. She commissioned and funded a new portfolio of artworks, produced by the Artist Proof Studio artists, for the International Conference on Climate Change. The portfolio, aptly titled the Student Green Renewal Portfolio, conveys either the devastating effect of climate change and/or a hopeful vision for how we can meet the challenges.
The funding, exposure and support that the TLC has generated, for South Africa’s visual artists, has been exceptional.
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“During lockdown, we were all forced to examine what is essential and what isn’t. I believe that creativity and art is absolutely essential. Some of our favourite and most loved things – be they tech products, TV shows, music or food – were created and packaged by artists. The Lockdown Collection is built around a love for creativity, for art, for its ability to document, to inspire, to motivate and to uplift,” says Lauren Woolf, one of the TLC founders and the founder and owner of creative consultancy, MRS WOOLF.
From an idea to an institution
The small TLC seed is set to keep growing, as the TLC team has announced plans to launch a new portfolio of artworks each year (thereby also replenishing the VAF fund each year).
“This is a formidable legacy, considering that when we initiated The Lockdown Collection, we had one portfolio of artworks and our goal was simply to sell or auction those 21 artworks. We had no idea that the Collection would grow – but the extension of the lockdown gave us the opportunity to broaden our scope, and to view the initiative as an institution. We realised that the Vulnerable Artists Fund can become a permanent source of funding and financial support for visual artists. And indeed, we’re now planning to keep building the initiative,” says Bates.
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