To many of the regular users of Joubert Park, where JAG is situated, the value of the institution, its contents and the scholarship surrounding it is meaningless. The intrinsic value it holds is compromised by it being inaccessible, and not user-friendly. The fence around the gallery, designed to protect the gallery, has alienated the gallery from passersby. Museums and art museums alike are being reinvented around the world to play a more significant role in society and to be agents of change and sustainable development, while connecting with the wider civic life.

As a response to this reality, the inaugural ARISAM Student Award has given a challenge to architecture students to rescript the relationship between the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG), its immediate urban fabric and the community at large. Students are expected to submit imaginative designs of the JAG building that foster a relationship with its surroundings, and Joubert Park within which it is set. The AFRISAM Student Award, which takes place on 16 October, is set to become a leading initiative in giving concrete examples on how architecture as a backdrop for art displays can be used to create a truly successful public place.

Learn more about the AfriSam Student Award for Sustainable Design here.