Welgemeend Art is an initiative that stems from a passion for promoting art & culture in the greater Cape Town community and creating awareness of the importance thereof with the younger generation.

It is aimed at:

• The advancement and preservation of the historic homestead of Welgemeend, situated in 2 Welgemeend Street, Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa and the art & book collections housed here;
• Hosting an annual exhibition of significant South African works of art from private collections in Welgemeend Homestead;
• Promoting Welgemeend as an Arts & Culture centre for the benefit of school learners and the general public;
• Holding an annual fund raising event to raise funds for the upkeep & maintenance of the Welgemeend Homestead.

This passionate initiative is a collaboration by various stakeholders: a voluntary association the Friends of Welgemeend, art collectors Frank and Lizelle Kilbourn, Strauss & Co: Fine Art Auctioneers and Art Consultants, Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck and others.

Together these stakeholders launched the annual Welgemeend August Art Month. Since the first Art Month was held in 2014, this event has become an annual highlight on the Cape Town arts calendar. The Welgemeend Art Month had its humble beginnings in 2013 following an appeal by the late Stephan Welz, renowned art auctioneer and chairperson of Strauss & Co at the time. In 2013 Stephan, realising the importance of the Welgemeend Homestead and its collection and the need for restorative maintenance, suggested the hosting of a fund-raising function at Welgemeend. The inaugural event was held in August 2014. It included a dinner, an auction of selected items, and a discussion titled ”Is Collecting Art?” between Stephan and Frank Kilbourn, then one of Strauss & Co’s clients and a passionate collector and lover of art. This first event was well received, raised much needed funds, and put the annual Welgemeend August Art Month on the map.

It comprises a month-long exhibition of works from the art collection of Frank and Lizelle Kilbourn (often in collaboration with other art collectors), a fundraising event held at the Homestead, and various walkabouts and/or lectures.