The 2026 Investec Cape Town Art Fair was once again a vibrant celebration of creativity, bringing together galleries, artists, collectors and art lovers from across the world. This year, the seven WCED Art Centres were proud to be part of the event with a shared stall that showcased the creativity of our learners and the spirit of accessible, community-based art education.
Throughout the weekend, staff members from the various art centres took turns working at the stall, welcoming visitors and sharing information about the work being done at the centres. The The Children’s Art Centre was represented by our principal, Berenice Plato, as well as teachers Hedwig Chandler and Minique Jooste, who each worked shifts during the fair.
A highlight of the stall was a wonderful collection of A5 artworks created and donated by learners from all seven art centres. These small artworks proved incredibly popular with visitors and were sold throughout the weekend. Alongside them, the stall also offered magnets, stickers, tote bags and shoulder bags printed with images of learner artworks — allowing visitors to take a piece of the centres’ creativity home with them.
One of the most engaging features of the stall was the “Create, Donate and Buy” activity table. Visitors were invited to sit down, pick up an A5 sheet of paper and use the variety of art materials provided to create their own artwork. Once completed, they could donate their artwork to the stall, where it would be displayed and sold for R100, the same price as every other piece.
The beauty of this initiative was its complete inclusivity. Artworks were created by professional artists, art students, amateur creatives, school children and even very young visitors. Each artwork, regardless of who made it, was valued equally and sold for the same price. Watching the wall of artworks grow over the course of the weekend was a powerful reminder that creativity belongs to everyone. The activity table was constantly buzzing with energy and quickly became one of the most popular parts of the fair.
In addition to participating in the fair, the Children’s Art Centre also organised a special outing for our Grade 10 and 11 FET Visual Arts learners on the Friday afternoon. Accompanied by Mrs Berenice Plato, Mrs Hedwig Chandler and Ms Lee-Ann Groenewald, the learners were given the opportunity to experience the fair as young artists and observers of the contemporary art world.
To encourage active looking and exploration, the learners were given a Visual Scavenger Hunt — a list of photographic prompts they needed to find and capture around the fair. Prompts included things like something orange, a black-and-white portrait, a reflection, and many other visual challenges that encouraged them to look closely at the artworks and exhibition spaces.
For two hours the learners wandered through the fair, cameras in hand, completely immersed in the world of contemporary art. They moved from stand to stand with curiosity
and excitement, discovering new artists, unusual materials, bold colours and surprising ideas. It was wonderful to see them so engaged — sometimes pausing to debate a piece of artwork, sometimes rushing excitedly to photograph something that matched one of their prompts.
Experiences like this are incredibly valuable for young artists. Visiting a major international art fair allows learners to see how art exists beyond the classroom — as a living, evolving conversation between artists, audiences and ideas.
By the end of the afternoon, the learners returned inspired, energised and brimming with new creative ideas.
The weekend as a whole was a beautiful reminder of the power of art to connect people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether it was a collector purchasing a small learner artwork, a child proudly donating their drawing to the stall, or a group of high school learners discovering artworks that sparked their imagination, the fair created countless moments of shared creativity.
For the Children’s Art Centre, being part of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair was not only an opportunity to showcase our learners’ work, but also to celebrate what we believe most strongly: that art is for everyone, and that every creative voice deserves a place on the wall.
