Renate also organises weekend workshops in Zimbabwean stone sculpting to accompany the Open House Exhibition in the month of May in her own home. She has rigged up workshop areas in her back garden, covered with waterproof fabrics, where participants astonish themselves by the results they manage to achieve in a 2-day workshop. What is so magic about these workshops is that not only are they run by Zimbabwean artists (Thomas Ndhlebe & Antony Sarireni or Elvis Mamvura & King Munyaradzi) but participants are able to purchase the same stone which is used by the Zimbabwean sculptors; so the workshops are really authentic in every way.
AfricArt is open throughout the year (by appointment) for the purchase of Zimbabwean stone such as opal, serpentine and springstone. Renate jokes that she has got the biggest ‘rockery’ in Brighton, consisting of 20 tons of stone, all stored in her back garden. She is happy to give advice about the stone, the tools and indeed the techniques to be used to get the best out of this type of stone.

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