This complex is situated in the northern suburbs of Cape Town in Durbanville. This heritage building, originally built in the 1940’s as a jail, is an art-oriented community center and home to the Clay Museum with its extensive collection of mainly contemporary South African ceramics.
The CUBE | Connected – Martin Swart, Kate van Putten, Alessandro Pappada
A teaching studio is located next to the Clay Museum which provides classes for a variety of art and crafts as well as a venue for workshops. The Yoco Eatery and Whisky Library, a popular café serves light meals and refreshments both inside the building and on the shady patio outside.
On the outer periphery of the complex are several studios housing different artists and craftspeople.
Rust-en-Vrede hosts a variety of exhibitions throughout the year and is home to the biennial Portrait Awards. In keeping with the centre’s educational mandate, many of Rust-en-Vrede’s exhibitions are accompanied by walkabouts, talks and workshops.
In the heart of Rust-en-Vrede is the Clay Museum, the only one of its kind in South Africa, established in 1986 by Maarten Zaalberg. The museum contains an exclusive collection of ceramics that represents the various techniques of making, decorating, and firing. This is highly appropriate to Durbanville’s history of having some of the best clay quarries and brickfields in the Western Cape. It was this aspect of Durbanville’s past that inspired the foundation of a Clay Museum. The collection on permanent display provides a historical reference of 20th and 21st-century South African ceramists and their work. Additions to the collection are ongoing through sponsorship and donations. A resource Centre within the Clay Museum contains South African and International reference material available for study by visitors, learners, and students.
Within the Clay Museum is a unique installation unit: The CUBE, consisting of 90 small cube-shaped spaces. The aim of the CUBE exhibitions is to promote South African contemporary ceramics and is managed by a team of ceramists and curators. Exhibitions are held every two months by artists selected for their creative excellence in different aspects of ceramic making. Established as well as emerging artists are given the opportunity to exhibit.
All work in the CUBE is for sale and the commission on sales provides the sole source of funding for this space. Rust-en-Vrede Gallery & Clay Museum is a Non-Profit organisation and receives no public or private funding.
The current installation in the CUBE is titled “Naked” and refers to ceramics without glaze. This group show explores ceramic techniques such as Naked Raku, Obvara, Sagger firing, Pit firing, Agateware, Burnished clay, and Raw clay.
In July well-known ceramist Clementina van der Walt will celebrate her 70th birthday with a special exhibition in the CUBE and Clay Museum.
Other CUBE exhibitions planned for 2022 are ”Imagine“, which will open in September, followed by “A Touch of gold“ in November, which celebrates Ceramics Southern Africa’s 50-year anniversary.
Each new CUBE exhibition is included in the formal openings of exhibitions at Rust-en-Vrede.
The CUBE offers the perfect opportunity to start an art collection, purchase that special gift or just enjoy contemporary ceramics within the context of the Clay Museum and the beautiful Rust-en-Vrede Gallery complex.
For queries or information please contact Hamlin or Donavan per e-mail:
rustenvrede@telkomsa.net
www.rust-en-vrede.com
Connect on Instagram:
Christo Giles in the Clay Museum
Rust-en-Vrede Clay Museum Display
