Zeitz MOCAA renames its Centre for Art Education in partnership with BMW Group South Africa.

Cape Town. Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) and BMW Group South Africa are proud to launch the renaming of the Zeitz MOCAA Centre for Art Education to BMW Centre for Art Education at a media event on Wednesday, 11 September 2024. This follows a three-year partnership agreement between Zeitz MOCAA and its longstanding mobility partner in support of the museum’s curatorial and education programming.

Zeitz MOCAA is a groundbreaking Pan African and Pan Diasporic institution dedicated to promoting and preserving contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. The museum’s vision is to produce and present cutting-edge contemporary exhibitions and art historical knowledge, enhance the careers of Africa’s most talented artists in the 21st century and beyond, strengthen its education programmes, and ensure access for all.

“A strategic priority that has remained central to the work of Zeitz MOCAA includes advancing accessibility through art education, facilitating art participation for youth and adults, teacher training, and advocacy with not-for-profit organisations and art education bodies,” says Koyo Kouoh, Zeitz MOCAA Executive Director & Chief Curator. “The work of the BMW Centre for Art Education speaks directly into one of the founding elements of the institution’s mission and vision, namely, to operate school and education programmes that enrich, inspire, and bring art and culture to both children and adults,” she adds.

Zeitz MOCAA’s BMW Centre for Art Education (CFAE) comprises a dedicated team of education specialists led by the dynamic Liesl Hartman who has been involved in formal and community-based visual art and design education for 30 years in her capacity as a teacher, facilitator, manager and writer. Hartman has taught children and adults of all ages in a variety of contexts and is best known in local art educational communities within Cape Town.

“Our aim is to become a thriving museum with thriving communities. This generous funding from BMW Group South Africa will support the vision of the CFAE by enabling us to continue making art accessible to a diverse audience of all ages through discussion, debate and active making, whether within the walls of the museum or beyond. The scope of our art education programming, which has grown exponentially since 2018, engages the museum’s permanent collection and exhibitions while collaborating with local and international organisations, institutions and schools that provide access to 21st-century African art practice,” says Liesl Hartman, Head of the BMW Centre for Art Education.

Since opening its doors to the public in 2017, Zeitz MOCAA has been keenly aligned with the initiatives of BMW Group South Africa including the BMW Young Collectors Co. established in 2019 as an initiative of FNB Art Joburg. To help fill an educational void in contemporary art collecting, the BMW Young Collectors Co. addresses the shortcomings of the country’s community of collectors. FNB Art Joburg noted that the traditional community of collectors would benefit from an injection of younger and more diverse members. Thus, the programme was started to empower South Africa’s future leaders and today’s preservers of culture. BMW Art Generation brings celebrated, established, and young artists, curators, and academics, from across the world together in conversation with collectors to imagine, celebrate and protect the future of contemporary African art.

“Arts and culture are essential to the BMW Group. The organisation has engaged in over 100 cultural collaborations around the world, with valuable partnerships created within the South African arts and culture landscape. South Africa’s heritage reflects a blend of unique local culture and diversity of influence that must be preserved – which is what these partnerships intend to do. Artistic and cultural activities present unique and inspiring ways to unlock the creative capabilities of a nation – allowing constant reinvention and innovation for an ever-changing social, economic and political environment,” says Peter van Binsbergen, Chief Executive Officer, BMW Group South Africa. “This partnership with Zeitz MOCAA and its Centre for Art Education foregrounds an ethos that fosters innovation, community and an Africa that will continue to set standards for the global contemporary art ecosystem, prioritising access through the transference of knowledge, from one generation to another,” he endorses.

The Zeitz MOCAA and BMW Group South Africa partnership will advance the institution’s vision and mission as an active agent that caters to and nurtures society through education programming surrounding contemporary art from Africa.

Zeitz MOCAA’s curatorial and education programming is generously supported by Gucci, Mellon Foundation, and BMW Group South Africa.

ENDS

If you have any questions, please contact:

BMW Group South Africa 

Angela Konert

Head of Business Communications

Phone: +27 71 666 2472

Email: Angela.Konert@bmw.co.za

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/south-africa

Zeitz MOCAA

Evaan Jason Ferreira

Email: evaanjason.ferreira@zeitzmocaa.museum

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2023, the BMW Group sold over 2.55 million passenger vehicles and more than 209,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2023 was € 17.1 billion on revenues amounting to € 155.5 billion. As of 31 December 2023, the BMW Group had a workforce of 154,950 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products. 

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About Zeitz MOCAA

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is a public not-for-profit institution that collects, preserves, researches and exhibits contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora; conceives and hosts international exhibitions; develops supporting educational, discursive and enrichment programmes; encourages intercultural understanding; and strives towards access for all. The museum’s galleries feature rotating temporary exhibitions with dedicated spaces for the permanent collection. The institution also includes the BMW Centre for Art Education  (CFAE), and The Atelier, a museum residency programme for artists living and working in Cape Town. Zeitz MOCAA is situated at the Silo District, South Arm Road, V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa, and is open Monday through Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm (last entry at 5.30 pm. www.zeitzmocaa.museum