History

Founder: Jeni Couzyn & Tarot Couzyn

Year: 1999

Jeni, an exile from South Africa since apartheid days, was drawn by a symbolic connection to the biblical Pool of Bethesda as a place of healing. She made a commitment to the Centre that has been central to her life for the last 25 years. Tarot was an art student and talented art teacher. Together they built a programme of teaching through the arts to anyone in the “coloured” community who wished to come.

The Centre comprises four buildings including the museum [link], studios [link], Outreach House [link], and tourist accommodation [link]. The artwork made at the Centre has been exhibited in major galleries around the world, including the British Museum, the Iziko National Gallery  in Cape Town, and in Perth, Australia with Aboriginal artists.  

Most of the villagers from the Bushman community have used the Centre in the last 25 years, attending workshops or festivals, participating in group events, or training in the arts. Each year, the Centre hosts a Festival of Lights on New Year’s Eve.

We support education as we can, from primary school children, through high school and into college. Workshops at the Centre for children, from Nieu Bethesda and further afield, have included clowning, print-making and working with textiles.