The Standard Bank Young Artist Awards were started in 1981 by the National Arts Festival to recognise emerging, relatively young South African artists who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their chosen field. These prestigious awards are presented annually to deserving artists in three to four arts disciplines, affording them national exposure and acclaim. Winning artists, as part of their award, are given the opportunity to perform, direct or exhibit on the National Arts Festival’s main programme. Standard Bank became the title sponsor of the awards in 1984 and have presented Young Artist Awards in all the major arts disciplines, as well as posthumous and special recognition awards.
Some 89 artists have been recipients of the awards since their inception in 1981. Previous winners include the likes of Paul Slabolepszy (1983), Andrew Buckland (1986), William Kentridge (1987), Johnny Clegg (1989), Darryl Roodt (1991), Sibongile Khumalo (1993), Vincent Mantsoe (1996), Bongani Ndodana-Breen (1998), Gregory Maqoma (2002), Yael Farber (2003) and many more.
Famous quotes containing the words standard, bank, young, artist and/or award:
“A dwarf who brings a standard along with him to measure his own size—take my word, is a dwarf in more articles than one.”
—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)
“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“If we became students of Malcolm X, we would not have young black men out there killing each other like they’re killing each other now. Young black men would not be impregnating young black women at the rate going on now. We’d not have the drugs we have now, or the alcoholism.”
—Spike Lee (b. 1956)
“An artist is forced by others to paint out of his own free will.”
—Willem De Kooning (b. 1904)
“The award of a pure gold medal for poetry would flatter the recipient unduly: no poem ever attains such carat purity.”
—Robert Graves (1895–1985)