The Burgeoning Art Center of Africa

"Unlike the world’s established design capitals—Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or London—Cape Town, and by extension South Africa, lacks almost entirely the traditions of teaching and sponsoring modern furniture and product design for its own sake (not surprising for a country that, until 15 years ago, had rather more pressing goals, like achieving democracy); and despite a millennia-old heritage of craftsmanship, it still lags far behind Europe and the United States in mass-manufacturing knowledge. As a result, until recently it has had no coherent design identity to show the world, beyond what could be inferred from a steadily exported stream of vaguely ethnic Africana—variations on the motifs of basketry, beadwork, and woven textiles."

The article focuses on a weekly gathering of artists and craftspeople to sell their work, creating a heart for the city's artistic community.