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In May 2008, with sponsorship from the Sunshine Foundation, the
Enlighten Education Trust set out to hold an art competition as a means
of making the new centre look good as well as a means of involving the
community and increasing awareness of the work the Enlighten Education
Trust’s does.
Just under one year on and the mosaic mural is up and we've achieved our objectives! As much as we've tried to keep the mosaic under "wraps" until the official opening "someone" keeps uncovering it. (Read on to find out more).
The winner, Sandi, and 5 local mosaic artists have done a sterling job making this a reality; and although the official unveiling is only on the 21st of May 2009 the accolades are already rolling in.
 Widespread Publicity
Posters and publicity in 3 languages was set up to reach all
aspiring artists aged between 18 and 30 in communities from Gansbaai to
Cape Town. Workshops were held to provide support as well as some
skills to locals who expressed interest in the competition.
We received about 150 expressions of interest and ended up with 48 art works being submitted.
Judging
It was a daunting task judging the entries - especially selecting from the final round. Judging was done by
Stefan Hundt, curator of the Sanlam Art Collection; Stephen Welz, well
known Auctioneer and Tyrone Appolis, a South African artist.
 Winners Announced
On Friday 19th September the winners were announced at the official opening of the Enlighten Education & Training Centre.
The first prize of R40,000 was awarded to Sandi Mdekazi of Nyanga.
Three Merit prizes of R7,000 each were awarded to Sonnet Flynn -
Betty's Bay, Monique Campher – Gansbaai and Nicolene Dorfling –
Durbanville.
 Planning
In November 2008 we started planning the build of the wall and
creation of the artwork.
We followed the method laid out by Jane Du
Rand, the famous mosaic artist, who even worked out the material
quantities for us! She based this on her mosaic mural at the
Baragwaneth Taxi Rank which is a similar size.
 Building
Sandi Mdekazi the winner moved to Hermanus for the duration of the
build which took from mid January 2009 until the end of April 2009.
5 local mosaic artists from Zwelihle – Ntombizandile Ntloko,
Nokuthula Madubela, Cikizwa Buti, Nontlahla Madubela and Raphael
Malunga – assisted him and together they have done an amazing job. Lara
from Mila Mosaics assisted us with material sourcing and training.
 The Unofficial “Unveiling”
Once the mosaic was mounted onto the wall, we covered it up with
plastic and shade cloth to try to keep it a surprise until it had been
finished. However, the covering had been carefully removed overnight on
the Easter weekend.
We thought perhaps members of the community were using the plastic
but found it neatly folded up in a bin. The shade cloth covering had
been pushed back over the wall.
 We covered the mural again - this time using large sheets of paper
left over from the design transfer. Again the covering was removed!
The community obviously cannot wait until the 21st May when the
official “unveiling” will be taking place, so we have decided to leave
it uncovered. The unveiling will be done by the Mayor and Mrs
Beyleveldt. Cameron Dugmore has been invited to give a keynote address.
 ![]() A Collective Success
Although the mosaic has not yet been officially unveiled, we are
thrilled with the widespread accolades that this work of art is already
receiving from members of the community.
This project is a collective success and we hope it will inspire
other communities, businesses and organizations to add colour to their
lives.
What about You?
Contact us if you'd like to use one of the many entries we've received to brighten up your business, organisation or community;
or if you'd like to commission any of the talented members of our team.
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