The Project is based in and around rural Hamburg in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The initial aim of the project was to provide employment, especially for women, to help fight extreme poverty and to support the high percentage of HIV/AIDS affected families in the area.
In 2004 the Keiskamma Trust was established, which initially included three programmes: Art, Education and Health, and in 2006, Music was added to the list. The Keiskamma Art Project is regarded by the group as the flagship of the Keiskamma Trust. Many of the items created under the Keiskamma Art Project are hand embroidered with scenes depicting the daily life and cultural heritage of the region’s Xhosa people. Some of the earliest items include crocheted hats and bags. Since then the Project has expanded its product range to include bags, bed linen, cushion covers and wall hangings.
By 2013, the Art Project was run by twelve local managers and group leaders, who worked with the c. 130 artists and craftspeople in five art studios specialising in beading, ceramics, embroidery, felt making and print making. Among the many embroidered items produced by the Keiskamma Art Project are the Creation Altar Piece; the Keiskamma Guernica and The Murray and Roberts Tapestries.
Sources:
- http://www.keiskamma.org/index.php/art (retrieved 27 April 2017).
- http://www.ngopulse.org/organisation/keiskamma-trust (retrieved 27 April 2017).
Digital source of illustration (retrieved 27 April 2017).
GVE