An important new cultural amenity for a city that is woefully short of exhibition space for its artists and craftsmen is due to open on the Berea at the end of the month on the campus of Centec, the Durban Central Technical College. The college is housed in the Old Mitchell Girls’ High School in Earl Haig Road.

The new Centec Gallery will open with the group exhibition Martin and Friends - assembled by Centec’s artists-in-residence, Martin Burnett. Exhibiting with him will be Lucille Cross, Jacky Fletcher, Jane Foote, Jeanette Gilks, Pat Johnstone, Jane Leach, Renee Leslie, Munira Motala, Neville Naidoo, Andrew Nair, Christina Pickering, Joy Savage, Mary Slack, Maggie Strachan and Marie von Tonder.

The gallery will be opened at 11h30 on March 25 and the exhibition will run through until April 6, with paintings, drawings, collages, ceramics, etchings, marbling, stained glass, wood carving, sculpture, quilting and fabric art on view.

Stating his belief that the new gallery will become an important new venue, Martin has much praise for the foresight of the Centec management in using the space on its campus to create a valuable cultural amenity for Durban. The gallery will be available to all the city’s artists and art groups. It is planned to make it available for use by individual artists and groups when it is not being used for Centec’s own student exhibitions. A number of artists have already expressed interest in using the gallery later in the year.

No fee is being charged for the use of the gallery but a small percentage of sales will go towards a special fund set aside for the upkeep and improvement of the gallery. More details from Martin Burnett on (031) 207-2060.