In a groundbreaking initiative for the Klein Karoo, and perhaps the entire country, a distinguished collective comprising philosophers, artists, creatives and teachers (PACT) takes centre stage in Karoo Art Hotel’s 2024 residence programme.
Also read: Watch: From Cape Town to the Karoo Art Hotel
Welcome to the creative conductors of Karoo Art, where these visionary minds shape every aspect of your stay, marking a unique convergence of intellect and creativity.
Karoo Art entrusts the baton to a carefully selected individual or team, ushering in the Creative Conductors of Karoo Art for an extraordinary span of days. During this time, these chosen visionaries orchestrate and shape every facet of your experience, marking an exceptional convergence of intellect and creativity.
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Herewith is an outline of what Karoo Art has planned so far:
Cathy Milner, Art of Oils
15 to 17 February
Cathy’s workshops at the hotel have a big following. She’s done a few with Karoo Art and they’ve all sold out. This is the first of three for 2024.
Bill Knight, Art of Dylan & Cohen and the Sung Poets with the Barrydale Poetry Club
23 to 25 February
Bill Knight’s name has been woven through the fabric of South African rock and folk over the past 40 years. Beyond his celebration of the music of Dylan and Cohen, Bill is also a respected composer and songwriter of his own material. Partnering with Bill in the design of this weekend’s programme is the Barrydale Poetry Club.
Rian Malan, Guy Tillim, Hannah Lowenthal, Lloyd Ross, Art of 4 Icons
Was Daar curated weekend
8 to 10 March
These are all leading creative names in their own right. Rian Malan is an award-winning local and international journalist, author, songwriter and performer. Guy Tillim is the South African photographer spoken of in the same voice as David Goldblatt. Hannah Lowenthal is a grand master of the 5Rhythms school of dance and movement, a teacher whose classes are over-subscribed in locations as diverse as Oslo, New York, and Vermaaklikheid.
All three combine to form the new band of the moment, Was Daar (formerly the Vermaaklikheid Bakery Orkes). Along with them for the ride is the famous founder of the iconic anti-apartheid music publishers and promoters, Shifty Records, Lloyd Ross.
Heidi Ansley, Art of Mosaic with Precious Dogs
Make a mosaic of your best friend
12 to 14 April
Heidi is recognised as a brilliant teacher of the art of mosaic in glass. But here she goes a step further for dog lovers. You’ll leave this weekend with a stunning framable glass mosaic of your dog in a classic pose.
Retza, Art of a Retro Road Trip Weekend with Royal Enfield
Royal Barrydale
26 to 28 April
Karoo Art gets a lot of bike groups passing through the hotel but few compare with the creative diversity and quirkiness of a group of Royal Enfield riders.
The hotel started small last year. This time, they’re going bigger and better. If you own a Royal Enfield or are waiting to be persuaded to become a part of such a legendary movement, this is the weekend for you.
Marylyn Palmer, Arts of a Karoo Farm Kitchen
Prickly Paris and Pomegranates
10 to 12 May
In July, the hotel moved over to an idea, which is a first. You no longer get handed a menu when you sit down for dinner; you get given an entire cookbook. This is the award-winning cookbook from the famous Kranmere farm outside of Pearston, Groot Karoo.
Marian Palmer, along with her daughter Bernadette Le Roux, in conjunction with Quiver Tree Press, brought out this beautiful cookbook, which Karoo Art’s kitchen follows to the letter. Marianne will be hosting a cooking weekend for people wanting to get closer to the art of Karoo cooking.
Chris Silverston, Art of Painted Crockery
You are the artist
22 to 24 May
Master potter and pottery industry entrepreneur Chris Silverston has built her Potters Work company up from a small premises on the edge of the park at Kalk Bay to Cape Town’s largest commercial studio with prestigious international clients, including, among others, Liberty of London as a client.
It’s not often that Chris takes time out to lead a workshop. In fact, she never does, so this is a great opportunity for a select few.
Jo-Anne Richards and Joanne Hichens, Art of the Memoir
Workshop and retreat
7 to 14 June
These are two very gifted, published South African writers. But it’s another thing entirely to be a gifted writing coach and mentor. The two Jos succeed at both. It’s either the Karoo Art Hotel or Venice with their writing courses. Start with Karoo Art; they’re closer to home for a tryout. Then go to that fabled private palace on the Grand Canal.
With Karoo Art, there’s the three-day high-intensity workshop and then, as an addition, the week in residence that follows.
Elizabeth Beer, Art of Being
21 to 31 June
Solstice weekend and soul workshop. An extraordinary weekend dedicated to the soul and the body with guided meditation, yoga and workshops all set to the live music of the gifted musician Nur Felix.
Harley-Dale, Art of Iron
12 to 14 July
This is Karoo Art’s third year of this fantastic Harley-Davidson weekend, which is justified in calling for a town name change for a brilliant 48 hours dedicated to these amazing bikes and their passionate owners. Barrydale becomes Harley-Dale once again.
Craig Harper, Art of the Passes
16 to 18 August
A weekend of speed and the passion for roadworthy racers. Craig Harper Sports Car. There are a bunch of those and then come the Lotus, the Cobras and more. This is a weekend dedicated to the many glorious passes between us and Cape Town and all around us – and the passion of owning machines that speak to the real spirit of the sports car.
Cathy Milner, Art of Ink and Mixed Media
22 to 25 August
This is Cathy’s second weekend of a year of three workshops with Karoo Art. They all sold out. She’s a gifted teacher. The work presented below was from the final class of 2023, and among them were two out-and-out beginners who went home with a piece of work that was headed for the framers shop and a wall at home. Some of the other artists there are already working as full-time artists.
Cathy Milner, Art of Monotype with Oils
10 to 13 October
Cathy’s final workshop of the year in a new medium that she hasn’t offered at the hotel before.
Sarah Bullen, Art of Writing
Master class, date to be confirmed
Exciting news for Karoo Art and a big move in terms of the Karoo Art Hotel becoming a real workshop destination for writers. There are several exotic locations around the world where you can sign up for a Sarah Bullen writing workshop – enter Barrydale.
Join writing coach and literary agent Sarah Bullen and poetry coach Tara Rose on a writing immersion in Barrydale in the Klein Karoo to get quiet and dive into words. Join for the weekend or the entire week.
Anyone with a book or a writing project is welcome to join. You may be a new writer or an experienced writer who simply needs time away from your life to settle into your writing. The days will flow between craft sessions, feedback and loads of time to sit and finally write.
For those who need a push, the structured sessions will show you how to write, edit and market your book, find a structure, character, plot, advanced plotting and pace, how to construct scenes, best writing techniques, genre conventions, finding your voice, preparing your manuscript, how to approach publishers, how to write your marketing material, and new publishing models.
Or sit back and immerse yourself in the quiet simplicity of a small town with horizons and open spaces to dream.
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Enjoy a spectacle of succulents at the Karoo Desert Botanical Gardens
Picture: Karoo Art Hotel