The venue for this year’s Night of a 1000Drawings has been announced! This mass art exhibition for charity will take place on Thursday 7 November 2013 at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown, Johannesburg.
Sci-Bono began life as the Electric Workshop. The building was initially the First President Street Power Station, commissioned in 1906 to power the new electric tram system. During Newtown’s years of decline as an industrial centre in the mid-1970s, the building stood derelict. In the 1990s, the building was often used as a music venue particularly after the elections of 1994.
In 2004, the Gauteng Department of Education and the private sector initiated plans to develop a major interactive science centre. The new Sci-Bono Discovery Centre was to become the largest science centre in Southern Africa.
Doors open at 6pm with the artwork on view until 8pm. Then the race to get a sticker on your coveted A5 masterpiece begins! At 9pm the artwork is taken down and collected by its new owners, and then the party begins. Four live bands will take to the stage, followed by DJ’s. A live Doodle Battle will take place in amongst the crowd, and party-goers can also expect to see Jozi’s hottest graffiti artists battle it out on the night.
Partners Converse, Adobe and Red Bull have generously donated some great prizes for the artists participating in the battles, as well as those that have created artwork for the exhibition.
Over 1000 pieces of artwork have been collected to date, and we’re still collecting! Join the 1000Drawings team at the regular Doodle events held around Jozi where A5 paper and drawing implements are supplied at the city’s hippest venues in a fun and chilled atmosphere. The public can also drop-off their A5 creations at any one of the partner coffee shops around town. For a list of these venues, go to the Drop-Off Points page on the website.
The Night of a 1000Drawings is all about uplifting the inner-city and while things have improved since 2006 when 1000Drawings began, there are still many people who live extremely hard lives on the streets of Johannesburg. Paballo, our main charity, continues to feed and support homeless people living in the inner-city every week. Entirely run and funded by volunteers and donors, they need all the help they can get. These volunteers will be working at the Night of a 1000Drawings.
Our second charity, Mmabana began when one of Paballo’s success stories – Nosiku Kalonga returned to her home in Zambia and decided to create an organisation that would do for the children of Choma, what Paballo had done for her in Johannesburg. Now in its fourth year, the Mmabana Community Outreach Programme is supported by the Mmabana Foundation based in Johannesburg.
This year’s third beneficiary is Intuthuko Embroideries, an NPO in Etwatwa near Springs that has trained 40 previously unemployed women in embroidery and sewing. As most of the women are the sole bread-winners, the profits from the sale of their wares have meant that they are able to house, feed and clothe their families. The closing down of the Rosebank flea market this year saw the organisation losing their main source of income, and they have been struggling ever since.
Volunteers are needed on the night to man sections of the exhibition spaces, as well sell tickets and artwork stickers. Volunteers will receive a small meal, as well as free entry to the exhibition and after-party. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact the 1000Drawings office (contact details below).
Tickets went on sale last week, and can be purchased at www.webtickets.co.za. Presale tickets cost R22, or tickets can be bought at the door on the night for R30 each. Artwork vouchers, which can be redeemed for stickers on the night, can also be purchased online for R109 each. All monies raised on the night from entrance tickets and the sale of artwork goes directly to the charities!
For more information visit: www.1000drawings.co.za
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