ARTISTS FOR ARTISTS PROGRAMME

Digital technology programmes to design, develop and maintain websites, write content with SEO’s, learn coding, develop and manage social media content, marketing –including digital marketing, content marketing, marketing strategy, marketing and brand management and public relations.

During Covid, those artists who had already built an online presence were better equipped to survive the pandemic. The current need for digital marketing and media skills have reached a critical point in the success of artists’ careers. Art has been democratized through the internet as the digital world is a populist force, levelling the world between rich and poor, educated, and uneducated.

One can describe the explosion of digital media as a transition from passive art to participatory art, from hierarchical art to democratic art, from traditional media to online media and from single art-form to inter-disciplinary.

Technology simultaneously presents an opportunity and a challenge for artists. The inequities that grip the digital place-making field run parallel with those impacting the arts sector. In the programme they will learn to navigate new challenges that artists are facing in the art world today.

THE BEYOND BUSKING PROJECT

Upskilling Buskers from street to stage and providing post training access to international promotion and work opportunities.

Cape Town Arts Festival piloted the Beyond Busking Skills and Development Program in 2022 to:

• Provide economic relief and inspiration to local busking artists.
• Uplift the image and perception of buskers in South Africa.
• Create greater platforms for buskers beyond the streets of Cape Town.
• Provide talented buskers with training in songwriting, stage presence and vocal training, musical arrangement, and production and equipment upgrades.
• Give buskers a platform on the big stage.
• Promote buskers as professional artists post-training period

PHILLIPI TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PROJECT

Project and Events –planning, scoping, management, fundraising and marketing.

From Feb to June, the CTAF conducted an events and arts entrepreneurship management program for the Langa Community. The concept aimed to upskill artists and add additional skills to assist them in developing and managing their own projects, events, and other artist promotional platforms. Through this project, the Langa Community has formed its own events company under the guidance of the CTAF, called Langa Vibes, and hosted a successful major event to celebrate 100 years of Langa on 10 June 2023.

A successful format has now been developed and proven for the training and job readiness course within underserved communities.

The CTAF aims to apply the same successful format to train and employ artists and creatives from Philippi with a target focus of 70% youth and 60% women.

This creates a wonderful synergy, promoting cross-marketing and expanding audience reach by embracing a rich tapestry of arts, crafts, and cuisine.

• A partnership has been established with the Philippi Arts Centre and the Western Cape Community Arts Network to host the training sessions.
• Training will be given in the areas of project and events planning, program scoping and development, marketing and social media, public relations, resource assessment, budgeting and management, fundraising, logistics and feedback reporting. The training program will culminate with the trainees planning and implementing their own festival Day Event in Feb 2024.