Mariaan Laubscher elected new chairperson of Arterial Network Seychelles |23 March 2020

Egbert Marday addressing the Arterial Network members.

Mariaan Laubscher is the new chairperson of the Arterial Network Seychelles’ steering committee, replacing outgoing chair Martin Kennedy.

The election of Ms Laubscher as the new chairperson took place recently during the annual general meeting of the Arterial Network Seychelles (ANS), a prominent arts organisation in Seychelles.

The other members of the committee are Christine Harter (vice-chairperson), Julie Johnston (secretary), Angelika Maurel (treasurer), Federico Lang, Alex Camille, Egbert Marday and Zsaklin Miklos (members).

Martin Kennedy, the outgoing chairperson, presided over the meeting with reports being presented on activities, finance and plans for the future.

ANS has realised an impressive number of projects during the past two years, from the presentation of six solo shows, two of which showcased successful international artists, and a continuous calendar of group shows by resident artists, including the 5th (2018) and 6th (2019) Affordable Art Fair. 

ANS also hosted the first ever exhibition in Seychelles dedicated solely to photography, and initiated annual workshop events such as The Big Draw (sponsored by MCB).

A major success for ANS was the ‘The Future’ project, which saw 31 young ‘mentees’ paired with professional ‘mentors’ in their chosen fields. The mentors met regularly with the mentees over a 12-month period and educated, guided and supported the mentees in the pursuit of their career goals. ‘The Future’ was made possible with funds awarded by the Ministry of Finance’s National Grants Committee.

The Eden Art Space (EAS) gallery continues to offer the finest exhibition space in the country, showcasing the work of more than 40 artists.

The major event on the calendar for 2020, the Seychelles Biennale, which was to be held at the EAS and other venues in April, hosting over 40 national and international artists, has been postponed to 2021.

To keep morale and creativity high, ANS intends to introduce more spontaneous ‘pop-up’ mini-shows during the coming year as well as a space dedicated to Curated Crafts which will showcase the best that crafts have to offer in Seychelles.

The chairperson is inviting any artists interested in showing work at the gallery to contact the association and pitch for a one-person or two-person show. Alternatively they may show work at one of the thematic shows to be announced. New members from the music, photography, design, dance, drama and literature fields are also welcome.

Membership is free and a simple application form can be obtained from Michelle Griffiths, the ANS operations manager on arterialseychelles@gmail.com

Contributed by the ANS

Photo sources: ANS