The Artists’ Gathering 2025 | At the Table
Fri Sep 26, 12:00 - Sun Sep 28, 13:00
Andrew Murray Centre for Spirituality
ABOUT
Welcome to the Artists’ Gathering
This year marks our 10th anniversary of gathering together in the Cape Winelands – as artists, art lovers and followers of Christ. As always, the gathering will be a weekend of rest and re-inspiration, where we explore creativity and faith, share ideas and are affirmed in our vocation as artists.
This year's theme: At the Table
For artists and creatives, community has always been vital – for sharing inspiration, encouragement and challenges, and ideas that have even made history.
But in the light of the Gospel, community is substantially more, and profoundly other. Community is communion, centred and sustained in Christ himself. Because He sets the table and prepares the feast; we simply accept the invitation. And, whether hungry or greedy, we all come equally starved for grace and redemption.
Thus, the table speaks of fundamental need, both earthly and spiritual, both ordinary and holy. It speaks of sustenance – of bread and wine – but also of the fundamental need to belong, to have a seat at the table. Christ’s table is one of radical inclusion and respects no manmade hierarchies. And it’s also a table of radical reconciliation, where we sit with our enemies, uncentering ourselves, mysteriously becoming one body as we partake of one bread.
How might communion mean more than just community when artists of faith come together? How might finding a seat at the table, finding – or refining – our varied voices, sustain us in our creative efforts? How might gathering with new people from diverse backgrounds help us imagine an entirely new possibility for unity in an increasingly polarised world – and church?
Join us for our 10th Artists’ Gathering as we explore these questions with great speakers, good conversation, moments of reflection and, of course, good food.
The details
You will be hosted in the historic Andrew Murray Centre for Spirituality in Wellington, with its beautiful chapel, rooms for reflection and gardens and grounds to explore. Meals, tea and coffee are included in the ticket price, as well as any relevant workshop materials. Ticket options are as follows:
R500: One-day ticket (Friday, Saturday OR Sunday)
R965: Full weekend ticket (All three days, no accommodation)
R1450: Two-day ticket, one night's accommodation (Friday–Saturday OR Saturday–Sunday)
R2150: Full retreat package (All three days, two nights' accommodation)
* Please note: Friday's meals include lunch and dinner; Saturday's meals include breakfast, lunch and dinner; and Sunday's meal is breakfast only, with mid-morning tea.
Sponsorships
Please consider sponsoring a ticket – any amount is welcome. This amount can be added to your Quicket purchase, or you can contact us at [email protected] to find out more.
For those who are struggling financially at the moment, please don't let this stop you from attending the gathering – get in touch with us and we'll see what we can do to help you. (Sponsorships are considered and granted on a case-by-case basis.)
We look forward to seeing you there!
PROGRAMME & SPEAKERS
Weekend Schedule
* We have a jam-packed lineup of brilliant academics, artists, storytellers and performers, ready to share their work and ideas. But for those of you who prefer a slower pace, feel free to take a break where needed – for a stroll or some space and stillness in the chapel, beautiful grounds and gardens. *
Friday 26 September 2025
12:00 Registration and lunch
(The chapel will also be open during this time if you'd like a quiet place)
14:00 Welcome
Theological grounding: Dr JB & Corli Krohn
Title: 'The Table and the Cross'
15:10 Artist presentations: Ntobeko Mjijwa & Lenka Knoetze
16:00 Tea and coffee break
16.30 Artist presentations: Gideon Nel & Simeon Botha
17:20 Keynote introduction and talk: Mark Meynell
18:30 Dinner
19:30 Movement workshop: Jessica Williams
Title: 'Co-creating in real-time: Movement-based tools for group composition'
Saturday 27 September 2025
08:00 Registration and breakfast
09:00 Guest speaker: Graham Heslop
10:00 Keynote talk: Mark Meynell
11:00 Tea & coffee break
11:30 Discussion: ‘Creating space’ with Gustav Roberts & Jan-Dirk van der Walt (SALT Architects), interviewed by Prof. Stella Viljoen
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Film screening: Babette’s Feast, presented by JP Harper
OR
Pause, have a rest, take a stroll through the gardens.
15:15 Tea and coffee break
15:45 Break-out workshops (choose one of the following):
– Colour with Gideon Nel
– Collage and zines with Jess Middleton
– Poetry with Anouk Cronjé
17:15 Guest speaker: Monde Ntoyanto
18:00 Dinner
19:00 Music and spoken word concert, featuring Kuyasa Kids Choir, Siya Meki, Mfundi the Poet, Rea Mmethi, Lenny, Sasha-Lee Bing (for Puno Selesho)
Sunday 28 September 2025
08:30 Breakfast
09:30 Workshop: Contemplative art walk with Heidi Salzwedel
10:45 Tea and coffee break
11:15 Interview and story: Eunice Ralarala & Maryke van Velden
12:00 Chapel service by Mark Meynell, followed by communion
About our Keynote Speaker: Mark Meynell, Langham Partnership, UK
We're excited to be welcoming Mark Meynell as our keynote speaker this year. He's coming all the way from the UK, where he works as a freelance writer, a chaplain in Whitehall, and as Director (Europe & Caribbean) for Langham Preaching (part of Langham Partnership).
FAQS
How do I get to the venue?
Our venue this year is the Andrew Murray Centre for Spirituality, which is located at 15B Jan Van Riebeeck Street in Wellington, approximately a 40-minute drive from Stellenbosch and 50 minutes from Cape Town. The Google Maps link is provided under the DIRECTIONS tab.
A guard on duty at the gate will sign you in, and secure parking is available for all visitors.
What are my accommodation options?
There are two options for overnighting during the conference:
- Accommodation at the Andrew Murray Centre is included in the full retreat ticket option, with bedding and towels included. Rooms are available as single or double (2 x single bed) options. (If you'd like to share with another attendee, please indicate this when purchasing your ticket.) To see pictures of the en-suite rooms, visit www.andrewmurraysentrum.co.za/facilities.
- Alternatively, you can find your own accommodation at a guest house or Airbnb for the duration of the conference, which will be on your own account. Note that relevant meals for each day, as well as tea and coffee, are included for ALL guests of the conference, not just overnight guests.
How can I pay?
It is easiest if you pay for your ticket via the Quicket platform, but you can also make your payment via EFT.
If using EFT, please use the account below:
KRUX NPC
Standard Bank, Cheque/transmission account
Branch code 051001
Account number 10147038632
SWIFT SBZA ZA JJ
Reference: AG2025 and your surname (Please send your proof of payment to [email protected].)
Can I pay in instalments?
To help you budget, we're offering the option of paying for your ticket in two parts, by EFT only (see bank details above).
To secure your ticket, please pay 50%, with the reference AG2025 + your surname 01, and send your proof of payment to [email protected].
The 50% balance must be paid by 17 September 2025, with the reference: AG2025 + your surname 02. Again, please send your proof of payment to [email protected].
What should I bring to the event?
- A notebook and pen/tablet
- Art materials to use during free time
- Something warm to wear – the centre is a historical building and can still become chilly in September.
Are there any opportunities to share my work with my peers?
Yes, for visual artists, there will be a dedicated exhibition space to share some of your artworks, should you like to. Please get in touch with Michelle-Lize ([email protected]) by no later than 19 September to make the necessary arrangements.
Is the event affiliated with any particular church?
The event is ecumenical (i.e. representing different churches) but functions broadly within a reformed evangelical tradition. The event has a similar theological ethos to that of L'Abri fellowship, founded by Francis and Edith Schaeffer in the 1950s. Dr James Krohn, who heads up KRUX (the organisation that manages the Artists' Gathering), attained his theological degree at Regent College, where he studied under scholars such as J.I. Packer and Eugene Peterson.
How did the Artists' Gathering start?
The Artists’ Gathering is an initiative that began in 2015 when Heidi Salzwedel, then curator of an art gallery in Franschhoek, and James Krohn, the director of the newly founded KRUX Christian Study Centre, wanted to create a space where artists of faith could meet.
The first gathering took place in July 2016 at East Mountain, a Christian ministry located on a farm outside Stellenbosch. To everyone’s surprise, around 30 artists from the Western Cape region attended, and some even came from as far as Johannesburg. Wesley Vander Lugt was the first keynote speaker and set a standard that brought instant import and a clear sense of mission to the gathering. The following year, Gideon Strauss was the guest speaker, as the gathering grew into a mini-conference stretching over three days of lectures, presentations and discussions.
Since then, the gathering has become one of the most popular events on the KRUX calendar. The ethos of the gathering is centred around friendship and hospitality, with an intimate conversational style making room for self-reflection and laughter. At the gathering, artists, poets, musicians, practitioners and academics from a wide spectrum rub shoulders in an atmosphere of generous orthodoxy and encouragement.
Watch this short video for some more information.
What is the purpose of the gathering?
Being a Christian in the world of the arts is challenging on many levels, as alienation is a common experience within the church, and opposition to faith a constant reality outside. Solitariness invites isolation. Gathering faith-based artists into a community for discourse, dialogue and practice in the arts within a Christian worldview is therefore both liberating and life-giving.
The purpose of the gathering is to provide intellectually stimulating discussion in the arts and to engage with visual faith in a way that is Biblically credible and sustainable. The discourse ranges from providing a basic faith-informed vocational vocabulary for artists, to deep engagement with the conceptual complexities embedded in and presented by contemporary and postmodern art. The principal aim is to equip, encourage and support local artists in their vocation to the glory of the Triune God. The gathering provides ample room for sharing work and ideas, hopes and dreams, and mutual encouragement in faithful vocation.
Further information
If you need any further information, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Please note: Waiver of liability and assumption of risk
By attending, you assume all risks of injury and loss. You release The Artists’ Gathering, its organisers, KRUX and the Andrew Murray Centre for Spirituality from any liability. You also grant permission for your image and likeness to be used for promotional purposes.