Established in May 2019, Creative WorkZone is an arts and events management company that draws on the extensive experience of Magdalene Reddy who is at the heart of the company.
Her attention to detail, problem solving abilities, commitment and reliability to get the job done and to do it professionally are fundamental attributes of the company.
Photo credit: Val Adamson
MAGDALENE REDDY
DIRECTOR
Magdalene has a 15-year managerial experience in the field of visual arts, music, film, literature and dance, both locally and internationally.
Upon completing her BA Honors degree in Music she worked at the University of KwaZulu’s School of Music and then the prolific Centre for Creative Arts where she managed the operations for four of its annual festivals – the Durban International Film Festival, Poetry Africa, Time of the Writer and Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience. During this time she served on the Durban FilmMart project steering committee. In addition she managed Poetry Africa on Tour programmes in Sweden, Reunion Island, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Kenya. Magdalene then worked on two projects implemented by the Department of Arts and Culture in partnership with the Institute Francais and the British Council respectively; The SA-French Seasons and the SA-UK Seasons. Magdalene worked with international partners to oversee the showcase of approximately 2000 South African artists in France and the UK. In 2015 she was appointed as the executive director of the African Art Centre to develop and promote the growth of the local fine arts and craft industry. Magdalene was a selected participant in the EU Global Cultural Leadership Programme in Malta (2016) and Belgium (2019) and acted as a trainer for the Deutsche Welle Film Festival Training at the Berlin International Film Festival. She co-wrote the Best Practice Toolkit on Festivals.
Her work experience includes:
- Executive Director at the African Art Centre (August 2015 to April 2019)
- Project coordinator for the music presentation at the late Nelson Mandela’s Memorial and Funeral Services (2014) and the late Winnie Mandela’s Funeral Service (2018)
- Manager for SA-UK Seasons 2014 & 2015
- Project Coordinator for France-South Africa Seasons 2013
- Senior Administrative Officer at the Centre for Creative Art (UKZN) (October 2006 to February 2013)
Four annual festivals – Durban International Film Festival, Time of the Writer, Poetry Africa, Poetry Africa on Tour and JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, Durban FilmMart,
Talent Campus Durban
Member of the Durban FilmMart’s Project Steering Committee (2009 to 2012) - Mentor at the Deutsche Welle Akadamie: Film Festival and Events Management – Training Workshop on ‘Creating and Working with Systems within Film Festivals’ (February 2012)
- Manager for UKUSA Community Arts Programme (2012)
- Co-wrote – ‘Festivals’ Best Practice Toolkit: Setting Up’ commissioned by Arterial Network (January to February 2012)
- Administrative Officer at the University of KZN Opera Studio and Choral Academy (May 2003 to September 2006)
Her expertise includes:
- Artistic and Strategic Direction
- Financial Management and Fundraising
- Festival and Programme Management
- Local and International Artistic and Cultural Exchange
- Arts Industry Engagements
- Stakeholder Management and Partnership Development
- Training and Mentorship
PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE
Images courtesy of Centre for Creative Arts
Centre for Creative Arts
Established in 1996 the Centre for Creative Arts is a multi-disciplinary arts organisation based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Its vision is to create an enabling environment for the flourishing of artistic and cultural expression, development and exchange.
Principal Activities
- Durban International Film Festival, including the Durban FilmMart (in partnership with the Durban Film Office) and Durban Talents (in partnership with the Berlin Film Festival)
- Poetry Africa, including Poetry Africa on Tour in the SADC region as well as other selected countries
- Time of the Writer
- Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience
Images courtesy of African Art Centre
African Art Centre
Established in 1959, the African Art Centre is a non-profit company which preserves and mentors the development of arts, craft and design; showcasing local creative talent to stimulate sustainable social and economic upliftment.
The African Art Centre contributes to the development, promotion and appreciation of African arts and crafts by:
DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING – providing creative and business skills development and mentoring for targeted crafters and artists
EXHIBITIONS – providing a professional exhibition space for young and established artists and crafters
MARKETING AND SALES – providing an outlet for the wholesale and retail of artists’ and crafters’ work.
SA-French Seasons
The South Africa – French Seasons 2012 & 2013 is a joint project between the Department of Arts and Culture and the Institut Francaise. This project is aimed at promoting South African arts and culture internationally, establishing lasting international partnerships in all genres of arts and culture, creating people-to-people contact between the respective countries, and strategically strengthening the relationship between South Africa and its partner countries.
Objectives
- The South Africa-France Seasons 2012 and 2013 seeks to profile relations between the two countries
- To encourage cultural, economic, scientific, educational, and a broad range of collaboration between the two countries
- To increase the level of awareness of each other’s culture and heritage
- To create opportunities in the areas of cultural tourism in both countries
SA-UK Seasons
The South Africa – UK Seasons 2014 & 2015 is a joint project between the Department of Arts and Culture and the British Council. This project is aimed at promoting South African arts and culture internationally, establishing lasting international partnerships in all genres of arts and culture, creating people-to-people contact between the respective countries, and strategically strengthening the relationship between South Africa and its partner countries.
Objectives
- To promote people-to-people contact, institutional collaboration and programmes that will have the potential for long-term impact and sustainability
- To connect new generations of creative professionals and audiences in SA and the UK
- To foster skills transfer and development, sharing expertise and innovation in developing the creative careers of young people
- To promote the growth and sustainability of the sector including a strong emphasis on audience development, economic growth and market access
- To showcase and promote SA and UK arts and culture that will present work that challenges and updates perceptions of contemporary culture and creativity in both countries
- To promote and showcase the inclusion of professionals and emerging artists with disability by building on the rich legacy of working in the performing, visual and creative arts in the UK and SA
PETER RORVIK
CONSULTANT
Peter Rorvik was for fourteen years, from 1999 to end 2012, the director of the Centre for Creative Arts and responsible for the growth and development of its four annual festivals – the Durban International Film Festival, Time of the Writer, JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, and Poetry Africa. Rorvik’s experience includes policy and strategy planning, fundraising, festival design and implementation, intercultural exchange, capacity-building and audience development initiatives. The Durban FilmMart, in partnership with the Durban Film Office, and the Durban Talents programme, in partnership with the Berlinale, were two of the numerous specialised projects initiated under his directorship of the film festival. Rorvik also coordinated the African Union Film Festival as part of the inauguration of the African Union in 2002.
In 2013 Rorvik was appointed Secretary-General of the continental secretariat of Arterial Network, whose work includes building sustainable networks, policy formulation, artist rights advocacy, mobilising resources, training, capacity building, and a wide range of projects in the creative sector across the continent of Africa. Rorvik led Arterial Network’s Artwatch Africa programme to promote and defend artist rights and freedom of creative expression for artists and cultural practitioners in 25 countries across the continent. Amongst other responsibilities he was co-organizer of the annual African Creative Economy conference in South Africa, Morocco and Cameroon, and was Arterial’s representative in global NGO processes to include Culture in the SDG’s and post-2015 development agenda.
Rorvik has authored/ supervised/ edited various reports and other publications in the arts and culture field. This includes being managing editor of the Afrifestnet Best Practice Toolkit on Festivals in 2013, the Artwatch Africa Review on artist rights in 2015 and overseeing Africa-wide research projects for UNESCO’s Global Report on Culture for Sustainable Urban Development in 2016. He was commissioned to write and edit a book on the arts and culture of Uganda – the 300 page book, Voices – reflections on art and culture in Uganda, comprising 52 interviews with leading sector role-players, was launched in Kampala in 2017.
Rorvik has served on a variety of film juries, selection committees and film project selection panels, and has presented talks and presentations in numerous conferences, thinktanks and policy workshops to interrogate and address challenges facing the arts and culture sector.
Amongst his various awards he received the 2005 HIVOS Best Project (Africa Region) for Centre for Creative Arts programmes, and in 2017 was awarded the Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Ambassador of France for service to the arts.
In 2019 Rorvik co-designed and conducted a training programme for South African film festivals on behalf of the National Film and Video Foundation, and co-directed and curated the 6th European Film Festival which took place in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, both of these being Creative WorkZone projects.
TESTIMONIALS
Magdalene Reddy is a seasoned organizer with extensive managerial experience in the arts sector ranging from visual arts and crafts, to literature, to film, to festivals, and events. She has worked across South Africa and also taken artistic endeavours from our corner of Africa to the rest of the continent and the world. I worked closely with her for many years when she was at the Centre for the Creative Arts, and she has remained a dear friend and colleague. She is always a pleasure to work with because of her warm nature, her efficiency, and her abilities to see ahead and think out of the box. She would be an asset to any person or organization that has the privilege of collaborating with her.
I have known Magdalene Reddy for about 10 years and worked with her for about 5 of those years. She is one of the most dedicated and professional arts manager I know.
Part of our work as arts managers is to facilitate meaningful experiences for our diverse communities and Magdalene excels in this regard. Our work often pose unique challenges and can be replete with unintended consequences, Magdalene, when confronted by a multiplicity of challenges, always rises to the occasion – she is very dependable.
A true PARTNER, Magdalene Reddy takes on any challenge with PASSION, she executes with TENACITY and DEDICATION, whilst inspiring her team with VISION and HUMOUR, she builds bonds of LOYALTY and COMMITMENT.
I had the honour of serving Magdalene as Chair of the African Art Centre during her tenure as Operational Director at the Centre for four years. It was a pleasure to work closely with Magdalene in delivering a blue print of sustainable transformation of the centre to self-sufficiency.
I have worked with Magdalene across a range of projects over the past 13 years and am continually impressed by her ability to envision, plan and execute successfully on projects big and small. Her diligence and dependability stem from an exceptional ability to organize and prioritise, underscored by her strong sense of integrity. She possesses great foresight and anticipation, understands the importance of structure and establishing effective systems and processes. Key attributes include her willingness to accept challenges, her clear-headed problem-solving, her diplomacy, her unstinting commitment and reliability in the tasks she undertakes. All this makes it an absolute privilege to work with her.
What she has already accomplished with Creative WorkZone in the short time since its formation represents a bold and beautiful start and we can certainly expect Magdalene and Creative WorkZone to shape out an important function in the arts and culture sector in future.