JAVETT – UP CELEBRATES HERITAGE WEEKEND WITH A JAZZ CONCERT AND ACTIVITIES
By CityLifeArts writer
“Re tsene: We are within! Three years of Javett-UP.”
You are invited to join us as we mark and celebrate three years of Javett-UP on 24 September.
In 2019 the Javett-UP was launched into the artistic landscape of Tshwane as a space that will engage with creative outputs from our region, continent and the larger diasporic pan-African contexts. In March 2020, the pandemic forced all of us to close our physical doors and explore different ways of being in conversation with each other and the world. With the support of our communities, partners, collaborators and friends, Javett-UP is still here and going strong. On the 24th of September, we mark and celebrate the resilience of the artistic communities by opening our doors to all our guests.
Makola says, “opening the doors of the public is important as it is aligned to the founding values as both a public benefit institution and public institution. The centre since it opened three years ago has connected with academics and artists to design it’s exciting programmes talking to the post apartheid south africa condition attracting artists from the region and beyond, “he told city life arts in an interview.
We will have fun children’s activities throughout the day, including a children’s workshop with Ms Mel’s Creativity Unboxed. In addition, we will have tours of our current exhibitions, including Yakhal’Inkomo: The Bongi Dhlomo Collection, SCENORAMA and, in our gold tower, the Mapungubwe National Heritage Collection and AngloGold Ashanti Gold of Africa Collection. Our day’s musical guests are Tshwane’s own KAECY and DJ Hebz.
Food and drink vendors will be available throughout the day.
Entrance is free for all! 10 am -5 pm.
Children’s art and play workshops will take place between 10:30 and 13:30.
Click Here to reserve your child’s spot.
Cost: Each creativity box is R120, and your child can take their box home.
Exhibition tours: 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 – RSVP Here to book your spot!
We look forward to spending this special day with you.
Doors Open – 10 am
Tours- Capacity for 30 people per tour
Tour #1 – 11:00 am
Tour # 2- 13:00
Tour # 3- 15:00
Ms Mel Activations:
10:30
13:30
DJs and live music
DJ Hebz
12:00 – 14:00
KAECY
14:00 – 15:00
DJ Hebz
15:00- 17:00
Keenan Meyer: A one-night-only Heritage Experience at Javett-UP on Friday
Heritage weekend at the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria (Javett-UP) promises to be something special, marking both Heritage Day and three years since the doors to Javett-UP first opened. On 23 September at 19:00, pianist, composer and UP alumnus Keenan Meyer, kicks off the celebrations with a unique one-night-only heritage experience inside the Javett-UP’s Yakhal’Inkomo: The Bongi Dhlomo Collection Exhibition.
“Javett-UP first opened its doors in 2019 with such enthusiasm and optimism, and continues to carry the founding energies that embodies its character as it marks three years. Together with its connection to the diverse communities of practice and contact zones, emerged from the Covid-19 lockdown more inspired and committed to contributing to the growth of the art, cultural heritage sector. With its unique proximity to the University of Pretoria, Javett-UP continues to aspire to innovation and solution-driven curatorial programming that will impact our collective human conditions from within our immediate geography reaching across our region” says Javett-up CEO Lekgetho Makola.
A classically trained performer with a unique jazz sound, Meyer graduated from the University of Pretoria with a Bachelor of Music Degree, majoring in music psychology and piano methodology in 2018. Meyer was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa and has had a lifelong relationship with music. He launched his debut album The Alchemy of Living last year to critical acclaim.
The Alchemy of Living is described as an album that pays homage to SA’s musical heritage and the icons that he studied, but it also follows a journey of self-discovery and introspective meditation on the diverse paths he has walked in his musical journey and the actualisation of his own identity.
Meyer’s deep awareness and understanding of Impressionist composers such as Ravel and Debussy, combined with the Romantic style in Rachmaninoff and others, is enriched by his knowledge of South African music. Although Meyer describes the jazz elements in The Alchemy of Living as fresh and fun, he is also aware of the role it plays in connecting audiences to South Africa’s heritage.
“Music is doing the work of the spirit, it allows us to remember ourselves. That when we engage South African music, jazz specifically, there is a moment of remembering self, remembering where we come from and reimagining ourselves going forward,” says Meyer.
To hear Meyer play is to be drawn into South Africa’s rich musical soundscape; it speaks of home, touches memory and fills the soul. Against the backdrop of Javett-UP’s current exhibitions, it will remind the audience of the importance of history and connections.
Join us on 23 September at 19:00 to experience Keenan Meyer live in concert.
Tickets are limited and can be purchased on Plankton.co.za for R320.
For more information, contact Ilse@javettup.com