Wearable art came alive at the first Mantis Museum Gala held last week in Port Elizabeth, with four Bay bred design talents showing their flair.
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum’s inaugural Mantis Museum Gala and Fashion show was organised by the Friends of the Art Museum with the assistance of Michelle Brown to raise funds for the NMM Art Museum to buy local art for its collection.
The NMM Art Museum has not had funding to purchase new works of art for the collection since 2010 and the gala raised just over R59,000 to boost its purchasing power.
Established designer Jenni Button presented a collection supported by three of the city’s innovative designers: Ati Setipa, Braemor Lundall-Sauls and Kelly Dillon, with local ballet dancers as models.
The gala, fashion show and the exhibition Mother Tongue all celebrate local fashion and design and would not be possible without the support of local business, said NMM Art Museum director Emma Taggart.
Tickets for the exclusive event sold out with art lovers around the city showing their commitment to support local creative talent in the Bay.
Mantis founder Adrian Gardiner’s support of the event echoed his patronage of the arts, with the No 5 Boutique Hotel by Mantis Group only displaying South African art on its walls.