Art Facilitators

Our dedicated Art Facilitators are committed to empowering students from underprivileged communities, equipping them with essential skills that enables them to navigate the world. Through a comprehensive programme, the facilitators impart artistic techniques, critical thinking abilities, alongside a deep understanding of history and cultural heritage. This multifaceted approach ensures that students gain a well-rounded education that transcends traditional learning, cultivating creativity and analytical skills that are vital in today’s society.

The programme encourages them to reflect on their personal narratives and the broader historical context of their communities, fostering a sense of pride and belonging. As these young individuals develop their artistic and critical thinking skills, they are better prepared to face the challenges of the future, armed with the knowledge and confidence to make meaningful contributions to society.

Each facilitator is skilled in their craft and is deeply invested in the personal and artistic development of the students they serve, bringing a wealth of experience to the programme. Each artist has previously exhibited their work with us, which has helped to establish a strong and trusted rapport with the organization. Their backgrounds in teaching art skills further enhance the learning experience, as they are adept at nurturing talent and encouraging self-expression among students. Combining their artistic expertise with a passion for education, these facilitators play a crucial role in transforming the lives of young individuals, inspiring them to embrace their cultural identity while developing the skills necessary for future success.

Whaleed Ahjum

Gary Frier

Gary Frier, born in 1972 in Cape Town, grew up in the segregated northern suburb of Kuilsriver in the Western Cape. He earned his Graphic Design qualification from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2004. Alongside his work as an independent artist, he also freelances as a designer and teaches a visual art and pottery programme at the Valkenburg Psychiatric Hospital's occupational therapy department, funded by Stonehage Fleming Investment Management through the Alcuin Charitable Trust. He skillfully blends contemporary and historical African elements, incorporating masks, photography, fabric details, textures, and colors that reflect urban culture. His themes are deeply rooted in cultural and socio-political contexts, drawing inspiration from various media to create an emotive reflection of his place in the world. Frier has exhibited widely in both local and international galleries and institutions.

In 2024, Frier joined us for an exhibition that explored the themes of "colouredness" and the "coloured experience," delving into their various cultural implications. His artwork highlighted the significant role that culture and mythology play in fostering social well-being and promoting unity within communities.

M. Whaleed Ahjum (b. 1988), (also works under Drake Corvin Wolfe) is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator and designer. Ahjum has facilitated a number of painting workshops with Call-2-Care - a nonprofit concerned with social impact and upliftment of underprivileged communities. Inspired by the tutelage of his mother - who was a retired teacher of art, history and geography - fostering within him a reverence for learning and creative expression from a young age. His interest lies in interrogating accepted narratives and drawing attention to subjects often overlooked, which are inherently interconnected. From historical narratives and roles, to artistic practices and the relegation of cultural objects and practices as folkcraft or simply, other. Extending to the relation of the arts and sciences and questioning siloed branches of knowledge. How the past informs the future, and how myth and science intersect. After working as a graphic designer for some years, Ahjum/Wolfe returned to what drew him to the visual creative industry, and obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from The Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town - where he majored in painting; culminating in Oculus, an exploration of the intersection of science and the arts as a humanist cross cultural commonality across civilizations and time.

In 2024 he collaborated with us and created his most recent body of work for the exhibition A Glimpse between Memoirs, where he explored the cultural heritage and presence of Cape Malay Diaspora within Cape Town. Drawing from his own heritage, being a descendant of one of the first three political exiles from the Malay Archipelago following the fall of Malacca. Through the lens of a cultural tradition surviving the attempts of erasure through colonial narrative, Ahjum explores latent oral histories, historical accounts and folk traditions, predominantly through the medium of oil painting.