Durban ICC has a Heart for Art

The Durban ICC is a perfect example of where public art has transformed an already majestic building into a bold, accessible gallery of coveted visual art pieces, which add texture, interest and distinction to the building.

Demonstrating its on-going commitment to the Arts, the Durban ICC has partnered with art curator, museum consultant, and writer, Carol Brown, to support the development of local artists in Durban. The week-long programme, hosted at the Durban Exhibition Centre, was aimed at assisting local artists to market themselves in a competitive environment. She said the programme is designed to impart essential commercial skills to the artists including how to approach galleries, sponsors and enter national and international competitions.

Brown commented, “The artists learn the “business of art” by writing appropriate biographies and art statements. They will be shown how to market themselves through various forms of media. The more advanced groups attending the course are introduced to public art requirements and new ideas in international curating.”

Brown is the director of her curatorial consultancy called Curate.A.Space and former director of the eThekwini Art Gallery/Museum. She has curated exhibitions and presented papers in the UK, USA, France, Australia, Spain and India just to name a few and has a long-standing partnership with the University of California Los Angeles.

During her tenure as curator of the Durban Art Gallery, Brown was involved in many exciting projects and exhibitions, particularly during the transition years of 1996 to 2006. “My most memorable experience was being involved in bringing previously marginalized artists into the mainstream which opened a wealth of challenges and seeing our local artists take part in the international arena was great.” concluded Brown.