In honour of Women’s Month, the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) proudly presents the Women of Impact Series. This series celebrates the outstanding achievements of our female graduates, partners, and project leaders in the Humanities and Social Sciences. We showcase the groundbreaking research, extraordinary dedication, and inspiring visions of these accomplished women. Through their innovative work and unwavering commitment, they have advanced in their respective fields and shaped a more inclusive and diverse future. Join us in celebrating their remarkable contributions and stories.
- Can you share a bit about your journey and experiences as a project leader with the NIHSS, and how this has influenced your work and personal growth?
Being a ‘deputy parent’ I’ve always had a knack for organizing, coordinating and figuring things out. I loved the performing arts and was naturally drawn to the behind-the-scenes careers; starting with crewing, props master, directing and stage management at university; and moving into arts administration early in my career. I moved up the ranks from a trainee administrator, going on to perform jobs in different parts of a theatre operation which gave me a near-wholistic hand-on experience of running a performing arts centre.
Since I that as an administrator I’m in service of artists to make their jobs easier, and with the environment drastically changing over the past 18 years since I graduated undergrad BADA; I saw it necessary to pair this with an MBA to merge disciplines from both fields to better position myself to service the constituency I serve.
- How does your research and projects address the unique challenges and opportunities in your field, and what key insights or findings do you believe can drive meaningful change and impact in society?
Leading an entity that reports into both a government Department and independent and private funders requires of me to be adept at both stakeholder groups’ needs, codes and governance prescripts, etc. – which at times may be at odds with each other. In my current position – the support of both is needed in order to deliver on our objectives and it is upon me and the Market Theatre Management team to not only be able to address the current ones; but to always innovate and anticipate any changes that may be brought about not only by our stakeholders’ needs but our changing operating environment.
One can never really foretell the success (or not) of a piece of art, and I believe that is what sets it apart from other sectors of the economy. It is for this reason that I appreciate and where possible take some time to review current projects with ‘fresh eyes’; research and explore what others are doing elsewhere and research to see if there are learnings from other industries that could be applied in my field of work. These I undertake on an exploratory and experimental mode where failure is acceptable, and learnings contribute to future projects.
- What does the celebration of Women’s Month mean to you?
Firstly, it’s an ode to the thousands of women that took the struggle against the pass laws being extended to women to the Union Buildings. When one reads about the events leading up to and on the day, as well as the images; it epitomizes seane sa SeTswana “Mmangwana o tshwara thipa ka fa bogaleng”. For me it is also a testament of progress made in terms of women’s rights and access; but simultaneously a reminder of the work that still needs to be done and a call to action for me to play my part – even beyond the month of August.
- What role do you see interdisciplinary collaboration playing in your work, and how has it enhanced the outcomes of your research and projects?
Interdisciplinary collaboration is very important and can be beneficial not only to the producers/artists but to the partners, patrons and communities they interact with. From bridging chasms within and between groups/people, to finding unique and/or new ways to solve problems/create opportunities using practices from the different disciplines – the opportunities just increase – often for the better.