About us
ABOUT US
Our story
Cape Town art and cultural tours are our speciality and passion. Culture Connect SA was started in 2012 by Kate Crane Briggs who runs the company and curates each experience.
Kate either leads the tour or finds another expert. Landmarks, galleries, collections, studios and the route are carefully tailored to your taste and time. Key are the people we meet; sometimes planned (e.g. curators, designers and artists), others our friends and contacts we bump into. Most tours are on foot, but transport can be easily arranged, ranging from chauffeur driven Mercs to hiring bicycles and side-cars. Conversations are a hallmark of Culture Connect SA.
We don’t like to just give the facts and background info. We’ll chat about social history and life here to give context and meaning. You can ask anything, before, during or after the tour. We pride ourselves on careful research beforehand on what we’ll see and your interests. For most tours we send background information in advance. We organise online talks, typically in South Africa’s winter, which can be watched on Culture Connect SA’s YouTube channel. Culture Connect is based in Rosebank, Cape Town.
ABOUT
Kate Crane Briggs
For as long as I can remember I have loved looking at art. I studied History of Art at the University of East Anglia in England where I’m from. I worked in marketing for five years, then fundraising and management in London museums and art institutions for over 20 years (my last job was Exec Director of the Royal Drawing School).
In 2010 I landed in South Africa, newly married to a South African architect and longing to connect with like-minded individuals. After two years immersed and inspired by South Africa’s vast beauty, creativity and cultural diversity, I started Culture Connect SA.
On every tour, I share my enthusiasm and knowledge of this phenomenal place and its visual arts.
Join me and connect with Cape Town in an enjoyable, meaningful way.
Volunteer help welcome
Culture Connect SA’s part time volunteers are hugely valued. Please let me know if you are interested – proof reading, fact finding, taking pictures and videos, writing, posting and assisting at an event. It isn’t a large time commitment. Volunteers can come for free to tours.
Students wanting working experience for their CV, to retirees interested in arts and/or history – Culture Connect SA’s volunteers have a wide range of backgrounds.
Culture Connect cares
We curate tours for young people from backgrounds where there is little, or no, exposure to art. This year we took a group of 20 kids from Langa’s VUSA Academy who like art. We went to the Norval Foundation, Tokai. It was their first visit to an art museum for most of them.
In Salt River Culture we support the Salt River Fynbos Community Garden, a registered NPO. We have bought fruit trees and now are fundraising for art materials for a print workshop in the long school summer holidays at Bijou, a nearby art centre.
Expenses like travel, lunch and art materials are funded by Culture Connectors who add extra when paying for their tour, or give specifically for the outing.
Each year we give a small number of tour vouchers to charity auctions where we have a link, such as ZipZap social circus school in Salt River.
Sponsors – thanks and opportunities
We appreciate the support of companies who waive charges and give products or services. De Meye is our long-standing wine sponsor. RUBRO give rooibos iced tea. Financial and immigration advisors, Sable International, provide marketing support.
Let me know if you would like to chat about getting involved.
