FUNDING PROPOSAL sent to BAT
February 2, 1994
Moe, Barry and myself continued to direct the FLAT Gallery. In early 1994 Jonker moved out and I moved into his space to live. Moe and I decided, at that time, to divide the R 800 rent between us so that we might continue to designate the living room as the gallery. In order to alleviate the burden of the rent for the third room, we realized that we needed to find another source of funding. This led to a request to the Bartel Arts Trust.
The Bartel Arts Trust (BAT) was at that time a newly formed arts trust made possible by Hugo Bartel to support arts in Durban. Its trustees were Paul Mikula and Dick Breytenbach, and the director at that time was Mike Van Graan. The BAT centre had not yet been built, and so in an effort to support art in Durban, the trust funded many small arts endeavors.
In our proposal requesting funds, we articulated our primary aims for the gallery. This is the first time that we had formally declared these aims in a written format:
The FLAT Gallery has no selection system and there is no restriction on content of work ‑ anyone can exhibit anything!
AIMS.
* To create a vibrant space where artists (students and professionals) can exhibit, experiment and interact in an either non‑formal or formal context by means of debate, informative talks, experimental work, group and solo exhibitions.
* It is a neutral space which can operate on a professional yet not commercial level allowing both practicing artists to experiment with new ideas and students the opportunity to experience the gallery system.
* In future we wish to develop greater communication with other artists, organisations and galleries in the R.S.A. and thus hope to establish a system where artists can have traveling exhibitions in various parts of the country etc.
*All work on exhibition has been and will be documented.[1]
[1] Moe, Barry, Allen; Letter to BAT, Feb 2, 1994.
This proposal signed by Moe, Barry and myself, also included a list of artists who had up until that point exhibited at the gallery. This was a total of 16 people in 4 months. Also submitted was a breakdown of costs for a proposed average of 4 exhibitions per month:
Rental R 400
Phone a/c inclusive Rental & Metered calls R 100
Invitations (printing and postage) R 400
Documentation R 200
Gallery Maintenance (lighting, paint) R 100
TOTAL R 1200 / month for one year[1]
On the fourth of February, a week after we had sent our proposal into BAT we received a letter from Jennifer Whitehead acknowledging that the BAT had agreed to sponsor us and pledged R400 a month towards our operating expenses until further notice. Their only clause in the agreement was:
We ask that you acknowledge BAT’s contribution by displaying the information in some manner in the gallery where the public will see it. Please include all of us on your mailing list ‑ addresses as per attached sheet.[2]
The names on the list included Paul Mikula, Dick Breytenbach, Whitehead, and Van Graan.
With these funds from BAT, Moe and I were relieved of the financial burden of covering the entire rent and our part was then R200 each a month for our accommodation. We made a poster thanking BAT for their sponsorship and this “thank you” sign remained in the gallery at all times.