Friends of Johannesburg Art Gallery

Jul 27

Preserving a legacy

Designed by Edwin Luytens, the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) opened its doors in 1915, providing a permanent home for Joburg’s first public art collection. The ‘Friends of JAG’ have always been instrumental in assisting JAG to organise events and reach new audiences.

Breinstorm Brand Architects have been the driving force behind the Friends for a few years.

The brief

Since opening its doors in 1915 in Joubert Park, JAG has remained at the epicentre of the Johannesburg art establishment. The flight of capital from the inner city in the 1990s caused support for both JAG and the Friends of JAG (FOJ) to decline.

In 2014, Breinstorm collaborated with Marianne Fassler to initiate a revival of the FOJ, with the purpose of restoring and expanding the organisation’s vital role in supporting JAG. The FOJ has been instrumental in assisting to bring the museum closer to the Johannesburg community by arranging fundraising activities, and educational outreach programmes and even partnered with the South African Mint to produce a set of commemorative medallions in honour of JAG’s rich legacy.

As allies to the FOJ, we’ve arranged various mutually beneficial corporate partnerships that contributed to the improvement of JAG’s situation. Our ongoing work for the FOJ includes social media community management and creating awareness around JAG among the general public, local government, and corporates.

The transformation

The Art of Comics

JAG, in partnership with the Embassy of France and the French Institute of South Africa, tasked BBA with developing branding and collateral for the Art of Comics exhibition, which took place at JAG in 2019. The comics exhibition attracted new audiences to JAG.

The FUBA Archive

The FOJ took on the project of protecting the legacy of the Federated Union of Black Artists by applying for the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. With a generous grant, we have undertaken the digitisation of documents related to the art movement.

#MuseumWeek

Since it was launched on Twitter #MuseumWeek has grown into an annual international online event devoted to the celebration of culture by various cultural institutions. For JAG’s participation, we designed image templates to include gallery branding and to visually diverse themes into a coherent system.

The Art of Comics

Learn more

The FUBA Archive

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 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.

Museum Week

Worldwide cultural event

#MuseumWeek was launched on social media as a worldwide cultural event. It has since grown into an annual international online event devoted to the celebration of culture by various cultural institutions. For JAG’s participation in 2016, we designed image templates to include gallery branding and to visually tie diverse themes into a coherent system.

The showcase of cleverness

Unlocking the stories of the past. Taking art to new audiences.

Centenary programme

In 2015 JAG celebrated the centenary of its original Edwin Lutyens building with a series of events and exhibitions.

As part of the celebrations, Breinstorm Brand Architects facilitated a collaboration between the South African Mint and the FOJ. We conceptualised three special limited-edition sterling silver commemorative medallions, with sales proceeds benefiting the vital supporting role of the FOJ in the everyday functioning of the gallery.