Appeal for financial assistance towards the establishment of the Victoria Falls International Airport Sculpture Park

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND AVAC Arts is an arts sector focused community development initiative (social enterprise) that was founded by Terrence Tawanda Musiyiwa during the year 2002. The entity was eventually registered in 2003. AVAC Arts was a necessity created after realising the opportunities and challenges faced by Chitungwiza stone sculptors. Our operations are aligned to…

Edward Chiwawa passes away; Shona sculpture loses a sekuru

It is with great sadness that we have to announce that senior artist Edward Chiwawa passed away last night. There are only a handful of sculptors left in Zimbabwe who are part of that first group to achieve international recognition, the so-called ‘first generation’ of Shona sculptors. That select group has lost one of its…

Zimbabwean female artists tell stories through sculpting

Firmly grasping a hammer and chisel, Simelokuhle Zibengwa, a stone sculptor, effortlessly pounded on a small chunk of rock. White-ish fragments fell off as she carefully hammered through the stone. After a while, and with a great deal of effort, a figure of a rabbit could be seen taking shape. Zibengwa’s works of art are not…

Avac Arts nominated for the LUXlife Global Excellence Awards 2022

Shortlisting has recently begun for the sixth annual Global Excellence Awards, proudly hosted by LUXlife magazine, and we are delighted to be informed that Avac Arts has been identified as a nominee this year. The Global Excellence Awards 2022 are dedicated to recognising the best products, services, and brands across the world who are leading the luxury elite in…

Dominic Benhura Day

By Paidashe Mandivengerei UNITED STATES city of Carmel, Indiana proclaimed May 14 as Dominic Benhura day after the internationally acclaimed Zimbabwean sculptor. The proclamation is in honour of the value that Benhura’s art has added to the city’s economic development and diversity. This came after Carmel commissioned Benhura’s sculpture ‘Swing Me Higher, Mama’ made from…

Art centres play pivotal role in nurturing talent

By Kundai Marunya (Arts Correspondent) The process of transferring one’s imagination into something visual and tangible is often challenging that only a few very creative individuals dare to take it on. It takes years of practice, learning from the masters and formulating one’s own distinct style before they finally earn the right to showcase their…

Stone sculptor enthusiast puts nation on the map

By Robert Mukondiwa Victoria Falls-based arts connoisseur and founder and director of Zimbabwe’s leading online sculpture gallery Avac Arts, Terrence Musiyiwa, has scored another first and put the nation on the map as he emphasises the need for both vocational skills and educational prowess. He recently shone after Avac Arts was featured as a leading…

Zimbabwean poet and filmmaker Zibusiso Mpofu has won the 2022 Brunel International African Poetry award

Zimbabwean poet and filmmaker Zibusiso Mpofu has won the title of Brunel International African Poetry 2022 Award. Mpofu was announced as the winner among finalists which included Conor Kogil from South Africa, Asmaa Jama and Edil Hassan from Somalia, Fahad Al-Amoudi from Ethiopia and Adedayo Agarau and Chisom Okafor from Nigeria. The award goes to…

2022 Victoria Falls Carnivals to be held at the Elephant Hills Resort

The Victoria Falls Carnival announced the Elephant Hills Resort as this year’s venue moving away from the traditional Victoria Falls Primary school that has hosted the carnival since inception. The Elephant Hotel is situated just 4 kilometers from the mighty Victoria Falls. The main stage will be set up on the driving range of the…

AVAC Arts donates 2 tonnes of sculpting raw stones to Chitungwiza Arts center youth and female artists

AVAC Arts has donated 2 tonnes of raw sculpting stones to upcoming resident artists working from the Chitungwiza Arts centre as a pilot project in a bid to promote and improve the overall livelihoods of young sculptors and female artists.   The future of stone sculpting does not lie in the hands of the present…

Lifeline for Chitungwiza Arts Centre

BY MOSES MUGUGUNYEKI The Covid-19 pandemic has caused devastating effects on all sectors of the economy and one such is the cultural and creative industry. Since the cultural and creative sector relies mostly on the movement and availability of people, Covid-19 restrictions narrowed business in the sector leading to several jobs being furloughed. In Zimbabwe,…

Roki Kicks Off 2022 With Chidzoka Acoustics; video shot at a stone sculpture gallery

URBAN Grooves sensation, Roki has kicked off the new year with an acoustic version of his yesteryear chart topping track, Chidzoka. Chidzoka acoustics music video premiered on Tuesday last week and the sterling visuals have garnered over 100 000 YouTube views a day after release. The acoustics come after he dropped the banger’s remix two weeks…

Chango Chitoko challenges inequalities in communities through Visual Art

…WOMEN AND MEN SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY. CHANGO CHITOKO is a mother of three children, two in high school and her first-born waiting to go into College. Chango who grew up in rural Murehwa took inspiration from friends and her grand father who mentored her on wood carving cooking sticks and mortar and pestles. Years…