Established in 1978, the Federated Union of Black Artists (FUBA), made it possible for black artists to study art in the harsh environment of Johannesburg. Through the arts centre, artist were able to find ways to express, create and define themselves. FUBA’s considerable legacy and its influence on the development of late 20th Century South African Art, such as the Resistance Art movement, is an important part of South Africa’s cultural history. The FUBA archive compiled by art historian Elza Miles represents a significant record of the centre’s legacy, and is of important cultural historical significance to South Africa.

Through the support of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, the Friends of JAG, together with curators from JAG, have embarked on a massive undertaking to digitise the archive of documents and works on paper. The final digital archive will consist of artworks, artefacts and documents and will be accessible to all South Africans and global scholars in a digital format. Friends of JAG has contracted Africa Media Online, a local leader in digitisation of heritage documentation, to assist in executing this project. The digitisation of documents and artworks related to the FUBA movement will be a massive contribution to South Africa’s contemporary cultural identity.