After three months of concrete bashing, the winding ramp is complete, walls have come down, steps have gone up, bricks are being laid and the shell of the new Wits Art Museum (WAM) on the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and Jorissen Street in Braamfontein is beginning to take shape.

Additional funding is still needed to complete the project and all support – nothing is too small! –
is deeply appreciated.

During a site visit on 22 July, architects Nina Cohen and Fiona Garson were delighted with the progress. They wanted to keep as many of the features of the three grand old buildings as possible and are opening up spaces and bringing in more light from skylights and big windows and creatively linking the structures into one unit.

“All of the buildings are spacially beautiful so we took our cues from what’s already there,” Nina said.

A couple of nice surprises included the discovery of two basements that were not on the building plans and will be converted into much needed storage space – and uncovering a Terrazzo and polished concrete floor which had been hidden under layers of various materials over the years. Once cleaned and polished, it will look spectacular.

Scheduled to open early next year, the Museum will house the University's priceless collection of African art, which is currently hidden away in storerooms.

Over 9000 artworks will finally be on permanent display. The collection has been built up over seven decades and spans the African continent and centuries of our history.

R38 5 million has been raised to construct Phase I - which includes the new gallery space over several floors of University Corner and Lawson’s Building. When complete, the museum will have six world class exhibition areas, research and teaching facilities, storage facilities, prime ancillary and commercial event space, and administrative and support facilities.
 
“I would like to extend my appreciation to the many generous individuals who have contributed to this cause," said Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof. Loyiso Nongxa. "The collections provide a powerful basis for offering the public an unrivalled experience of African art.”
 
Wits was the first in South Africa to collect African art objects not merely for their ethnographic interest but more importantly for their aesthetic value. Wits was likewise the first in South Africa to include African art in the teaching programme in 1977.

The African art collections at Wits were founded in 1978 by a generous donation by the late Vittorino Meneghelli. Over time the collections have been funded by additional grants from the University and Standard Bank and by donations from individuals; artists and a range of outside organisations.
 
Donor support will be acknowledged through a range of mechanisms – including the possibility of naming rights to collections and the various museum spaces. WAM will ensure that all contributions are properly recognised and acknowledged in a respectful and considered way and aims to honour those contributors whose valued support will ensure a cultural legacy will be secured for future generations.

Please support African art and celebrate our heritage!

Hurwitz family donates African art collection to Wits

Click here to donate now to WAM

Click here for our Patronage Proposal

Visit the dedicated WAM website