Stefan Raubenheimer, Nightwalk, 2024
NOTICE OF THE 2025 AGM
The AVA’s 2025 annual general meeting will be held on Wednesday 12 November at 6pm at the AVA Gallery, 35 Church St, Cape Town CBD.
The agenda, as set out by the constitution, will be as follows:
1. Welcome and proceedings
2. Acceptance of last year’s minutes
3. The Chairperson of the Board’s annual report
4. The Treasurer’s report
5. Director’s Report
6. Introduction of existing and prospective Board members
7. The election of new Board members by ballot
8. The appointment of an auditor for the coming year
9. Any other business
10. Outcome of election
In respect of certain agenda items:
1. In proceedings, the board would like to address the following items: a) Ratification of co-options. b) Request for a waiver for holding the AGM later than 9 months after the end of the financial year. Last year’s minutes can be found here.
2. The financials for the year ending 31st December 2024 will be presented by the current Treasurer. Copies are available here.
3. The names and terms of current Board members are: Ina Voloshin (Chairperson), Elske Henderson (Vice Chairperson), Michael Gran (Treasurer), Angela Shaw, Antony Arvan, Candice Thikeson, Grady T Zeeman, Helen Andrews, Jonathan Goschen, Leigh Leyde, Tebogo George Mahashe, Yazeed Kamaldien and Olga Speakes (Director, ex-officio).
4. Board Members standing for re-election:
o Angela Shaw, biography found here.
o Jonathen Groschen, biography found here.
o Elske Henderson, biography found here.
5. Board Member to be co-opted:
o Leigh Leyde
Leigh Leyde is an art specialist at Strauss & Co, Africa’s leading auction house. She joined the company in 2021, working within the research team as a cataloguer, writer and editor — bringing with her over a decade of experience in curatorial practice, arts education and research.
Leigh holds a Master’s degree in African Art History from the University of the Witwatersrand (2011). Her career thrived at the Wits Art Museum (WAM), where she served as Education Curator for more than ten years. During this time, she developed and implemented the museum’s first comprehensive education programme, engaging students and public audiences through innovative outreach and academic initiatives. Her time at WAM deepened her passion for African art and expanded her extensive knowledge of artistic practices from across the continent, both historical and contemporary.
Her curatorial work spans a number of significant exhibitions — including ‘Giving Direction: Figuration, Past and Present’ at Strauss & Co in 2022, a non-commercial survey examining shifts in figuration; ‘Writing Art Histories: Exhibition/Classroom’ at WAM in 2018, a teaching-focused exhibition co-curated with Stacey Vorster; and ‘Activate/Captivate: Collections Reengagement’ at Wits Art Museum (2015–2016), a multi-disciplinary project that celebrated the museum’s collection and its role in inspiring creative research.
Leigh is also a published writer whose work has appeared in catalogues and various publications, including; ‘Giving Direction: Figuration, Past and Present’ (2022), ‘One Colour at a Time: Contemporary Screenprints Catalogue’ (2017) and ‘Seen, Heard, Valued: 40 Years of the Standard Bank African Art Collection’ (2022).
Motivated by a commitment to meaningful contribution within the South African arts sector, Leigh brings curatorial insight, fundraising initiative, academic rigour and strong communication and project management skills to her various pursuits.
6. The prospective board members are as follows:
o Kathy Robins
Biography: Kathy Robins has worked in community development, art, design and social activism throughout her working life. She founded and developed a Corporate Social Responsibility Programme in 1999 and continues to work in development initiatives, such as sustainable community garden and entrepreneurship programmes. As an artist, Robins has exhibited her work in various local and international shows. Through her work, she aims to engage with issues of displacement and home in the context of entangled contemporary ecological and socio-political issues. Using natural materials and forms, she considers processes of human connection and interaction with the natural world. In the context of the current international, physical displacement and social disconnection of people from the land, Robins engages with materials and processes that echo issues of displacement and longing for a lost connection with place.
Motivation: Thank you for considering me for a possible Board Position. I would like to serve on the board of the Association of Arts because I believe deeply in the power of the arts to create hope and change. My own practice spans sculpture, video, print, painting, sound, and performance, and for many years I have also worked in development and philanthropy, helping to nurture opportunities for young people. I bring with me the experience of serving on the Tate Africa Committee for a decade, as well as running foundations, but above all, a passion for supporting the arts as a space where diverse voices can be seen, nurtured, and celebrated. I see the Association as a shelter for young artists, and I would be honoured to help strengthen its role as a place of encouragement, growth, and possibility.
o Eunice Geustyn
Biography: An artist and academic, Eunice Geustyn has been the Executive Head of the Ruth Prowse School of Art since 2002. Eunice has an interest in promoting visual arts in all its forms. Eunice is a graduate from the University of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and holds a Master’s of Fine Art Degree, a Postgraduate Advanced Diploma, a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree and a Diploma in Fine Art. Eunice’s preferred medium of expression in her personal work is printmaking and mixed media has exhibited locally and abroad. Her work is featured in many collections. Notable collections include the Absa Bank Collection, the Boland Bank Collection, the Citibank SA Collection, the Katrine Harries Print Collection, the Kochi National Gallery, the Sasol Museum Art Collection, the South African National Gallery, the South African Reserve Bank and the University of Cape Town.
Motivation: As being part of the arts sector as creative and as educator, my interest in the arts has been a core passion. I believe that AVA forms a vital and critical role to the creative community. Supporting AVA would allow for the integration of many interests and I would value contributing.
o Sean Logie
Biography: I am a professional registered architect, with over 30 years’ experience - national and international. I have been self-employed for almost 20 years, and prior to that, I served as the principal of an established firm in Cape Town for over nine years. My work experience is wide and varied, ranging from residential to commercial & institutional facilities, and my expertise encompasses all aspects of architecture from design to technical and contractual. In addition, I have always performed the role of principal agent and have led numerous professional teams on many multimillion-rand projects, in both the private and public sectors.
Motivation: I would be involved in the facilities portfolio, as I believe as an architect, with considerable experience in all aspects of architecture, construction, etc. I can provide invaluable assistance to the AVA when it comes to facilities management. My expertise will greatly assist in understanding technical issues, providing solutions which are pragmatic and cost-effective but without a compromise in quality, assist in procurement when required, and provide general guidance in terms of technical and design-related matters.
Only paid-up members are eligible to vote. You can become a member here. Paid-up members who cannot be physically present may vote for their preferred board nominees by email by filling out a proxy form here and returning it to admin@ava.co.za no later than 3pm on Wednesday 12 November 2025.
Following from the AGM, please join us for a presentation by a guest speaker and refreshments.
Kindly RSVP to admin@ava.co.za
