SCAVA’s “Visual Expressions” Competition and Exhibition of 2024, brought us renowned judges, Hermann Niebuhr, Liza Grobler, Fawa Conradie and featured a well-attended awards ceremony and opening evening. This year we had 64 artists participating with a total of 187 artworks that were judged in the competition. Truly amazing!

This exhibition was a celebration in honouring the arts. It is no small thing for an artists to put down the first mark on an glaring white canvas, to put your heart and soul into a painting and then putting it on display for all to see. Each and every artist that participated were celebrated for doing just that.

SCAVA had the privilege to have generous sponsors for our competition namely: Michelangelo our Gold sponsor of R10 000 for our first prize winners, Attic Atelier, Artscatalogue, René Scribante, Hannelien Hattingh, Wildeman, ArtsSavings Club’s and The Little Art Shop. Their support played a pivotal role in making our competition the resounding success that it was.

ArtsSavings Club’s Viewer’s Choice Trophy was awarded to Gretha Helberg during SCAVA’s closing event for her artwork, “I see you”.

The magic continued with the collaboration of Visual Arts & Poetry as the poems that had been recited by their creators, Saturday 9th September, had found their place on our gallery walls of SCAVA’s “Visual Expressions” Competition Exhibition, right next to the paintings that inspired them.

This year, SCAVA introduced its Oudtshoorn Dogs in Need fundraiser which invited artists to submit miniature artworks on canvas which were sold at a set price of R500 each, of which proceeds went to ODIN. The response from local artists was overwhelming, and these miniature works were on display in the Foyer of the Sayers Auditorium of the George Museum. There were many beautiful pieces available to purchase for this worthy cause, and we are so happy that we could make a small difference in some animal’s lives. SCAVA hopes to continue with this project.

SCAVA’s Visual Expressions Competition Exhibition closing event took place on Friday night 27 September 2024, in the Sayers Auditorium of the George Museum. It was an absolute privilege to end the night while sitting amongst visual art and listening to musical art by Christopher Petrie, goosebump moments.