Are you part of the Friends of the Gallery? If your answer is in the negative, you are most likely missing out on one of the most affordable and highly beneficial affiliations. The first point of call for the perceptive individual lies in understanding the purpose of this devout group, including the benefits to prospective National Gallery of Zimbabwe members.
BY Zvikomborero Mandangu
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe was established in July 1957. As a museum of art, there was the challenge of finding works of art to fill this new building with. As permitted by the good networking skills of the first director of what was then known as the Rhodes National Gallery, Frank McEwen; having a means to procure works of art not only from local practitioners, but from global artistes, was the core business of the Gallery, all for the enjoyment of the public.
At that juncture, the Friends of the Gallery materialised as a body of volunteers who subscribed to the Gallery and were active during fundraising activities of the organisation. Their key reason for existence was raising funds for the permanent collection. Therein, lies the question of what a permanent collection is. A summarised definition can be provided as an indexed body of artworks that is conserved for aesthetic, ethnographical and cultural significance, which can be equated to artistic bullion with regards to commodity. Most of the works in the permanent collection are highly valuable and are set aside for the enjoyment of the public.
The Friends of the Gallery, secondly, are a diverse group of individuals that constitutes artistes; who are often provided with regional and international opportunities such as workshops and residencies, early bird notifications when Gallery exhibitions are conceived and appraisals for projects that span the duration of the artist’s membership subscription.
The individual membership is more oriented to the general public as it gives an informative and educational experience to one who wants to discover more about visual art, locally or abroad. Invitations to exhibition openings give the individual member an opportunity to learn more about the dynamics of the art world; with the presence of art collectors and artistes. There is an opportunity for the discerning appreciator to learn more about how art is an investment and how to make the right purchase as the premiere for an exhibition presents an environment where second opinions and refined taste can be utilised to making a conscious decision to buying and understanding an artwork. Overall, at opening events, one of the most important aspects is the artist who plays executor to an artwork; their insights on the creative process and the true idea behind an artwork is easily accessible.
The library and resource centre is a third pillar of the Friends of the Gallery membership and at the centre of this is the Thomas Meikle Library, which houses the largest volume of art reference materials in Zimbabwe. For one who is to approach art with a gnostic proclivity, the Thomas Meikle Library is a treasure trove of information, be it old masters, rock paintings, basketry, the Fauves, pop art or Shona stone sculpture. The library membership is well-suited to meeting the needs of students from institutions that instruct art and researchers working on papers on the various disciplines of visual art.
All the above Friends of the Gallery membership packages are on an annual duration and as such, joining the gallery gets one in the sanctum sanctorum of the art world as they receive benefits that are all access to the Gallery’s events and programmes. Friends of the Gallery also enjoy discounts at all National Trust of Zimbabwe amenities and the Reps Theatre, with the exception of shows in the Theatre Upstairs. So, visit the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and subscribe to the Friends of the Gallery and become one of the proponents to the preservation of visual art for future generations in Zimbabwe.
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Zvikomborero Mandangu is the National Gallery of Zimbabwe’s information and public relations officer
