PPC to offer cement sculpting workshop - UJ
12 April 2010

Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) is offering a cement workshop to young artists as part of the Young Concrete Sculptor Awards (YCSA) competition. The workshop will be held at the University of Johannesburg, FADA (Fine Arts Department) Building, Sculpture Department, 3rd floor, Bunting Road, Auckland Park, Johannesburg on 30 March this year, from 10:00 – 15:00. Space for the workshops is limited; therefore all interested artists should make bookings to enter the workshop and RSVP by 23 March. 

PPC’s annual YCSA competition is now in its 19th year and seeks to provide an opportunity for artists who want to showcase their talent. The competition is aimed at artists 18 years and older, who are either beginners in the art of sculpting or who cannot claim to be professional or successfully established artists as yet.   

PPC hosts workshops countrywide each year to provide guidance to artists in terms of the use of concrete as a medium. “We find that artists who are introduced to this medium and who develop an understanding of its amazing versatility tend to use it throughout their careers,” commented PPC PR Manager, Nomzamo Basson.  “Our workshops are inspiring a new generation of artists each year and our investment in the workshop process continues to pay off.”

Held in conjunction with the Association of Arts in Pretoria, a non-profit organisation that promotes the visual arts, the PPC Cement Young Concrete Sculptor Awards (YCSA) competition has become one of South Africa’s most prestigious art competitions and certainly the most unique, being the only national sculpture competition. 

The total prize money of this year’s competition is R85 000.  The “Best Sculpture on Exhibition” will be awarded R50 000, whilst second place will be awarded R25 000.  In addition to this, two R5 000 merit awards will be presented to deserving recipients. 

The competition is unique in that it focuses on the utilisation of cement and ultimately concrete as a medium. “It’s a technically challenging art competition and judges will be looking for artwork that demonstrates outstanding craftsmanship, aesthetic appeal, a balance between technical excellence and commercial appreciation,” says Basson.

The unique competition continues to produce exceptional works of art through the unique medium of concrete, which, as the entrants prove every year, can meet even the most intricate demands of artistic expression.  

Young artists are encouraged to enter the competition by following four easy steps: 

1. Please download the entry form from http://www.ppc.co.za/cement_ycs10.cfm

2. Complete the entry form

3. Fax the completed entry form to (012 346 3125) or email to (artspta@mweb.co.za)

4. Entry Fee R40.00 per work to be deposited into the Association of Arts Pretoria's banking account.