A new CEO for the National Arts Council of SA (NAC), Annabell Lebethe, has been appointed, the council said on Monday.
”I am thrilled and humbled at the task that has been entrusted to me,” said Lebethe in a statement.
”I’m committed to taking the NAC to the next level in its lifecycle, wherein we go beyond our role as funding agency to critically and strategically engage with the arts sector.”
In the short term, Lebethe said she wanted to ensure NAC successfully hosted the 4th World Summit on Arts and Culture which would take place in September in Johannesburg.
The theme of this year’s summit, which brings together arts policy makers, funding agencies and arts managers from across the globe, is ”Meeting of Cultures: Creating Meaning through the Arts”.
Lebethe said her long term vision was to ensure arts and culture became part of the country’s economic mainstream.
She previously worked as the director of creative industries at the Gauteng provincial government, and will take her new position on Wednesday.
The NAC said in a statement that Lebethe’s appointment came at a time when funding for the arts sector was negatively affected by the global economic downturn.
”Artists who are mostly reliant on public and private sector funding are experiencing extreme difficulty in securing financial support for productions and development of their craft.”
The NAC board was reviewing 1977’s NAC Act to see how legislation could be revised to better serve the country’s artistic community.
NAC chairwoman Brenda Madumise said since April this year the council was trying to devise innovative funding models for the sector.
”We are putting an increased focus on public and private sector partnerships, deeper engagement with artists and other stakeholders founded on rigorous governance and management.”
On Lebethe’s appointment: ”We believe Ms Lebethe’s career success and strategic acumen makes her the ideal candidate to deliver on the NAC’s mandate,” said Madumise. — Sapa