The African Arts Institute launched The Migrant Artist’s Handbook: A guide to living and working in Cape Town & Johannesburg - online - on 25 April 2012.
The handbook undertakes to provide both Migrant and South African start-up artists with resources, references and tools to approach various arts disciplines with self-fulfilling and self-sustaining imperatives.
It includes two sections, the first covering five disciplines, Music, Film, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Literature. Each discipline is introduced by an overview of the South African context, followed by personalized “how to” contributions from specialists in the respective fields.
For each discipline an extensive list of resources is provided, of professional associations, educational, training or funding institutions, recording studios (for music), galleries and art shops (for visual art) and bookshops (for literature).
The second section of the book is resource focused, covering Communications, from how to use the internet as marketing tool, to where to access English language courses; Business, from opening a bank account to processing orders, deliveries and payments; and including substantial chapters on Personal Documentation and Legal assistance.
The handbook was researched by AFAI Project Manager and migrant artist Patricia Matongo and conceptualised by a team of African diaspora artists.
