adminthe early 1960s had grown so big that when I visited it in 2006, my team and I needed almost eight hours with a lunch hour break in between to cover the breadth of the creative landscape.
Because it has strong foundations in farm lifestyles and conditions, Tengenenge has been built around the idea of communal ownership where artists are provided with residencies and work spaces, and in exchange, management gets to decide on commissions for works sold to outsiders.
The sculptors at Tengenenge are clearly gifted and dedicated to their work.
Through interviews back in 2006, most were able to explain the key aspects of their work, including their creative processes, inspiration, aspiration and justification of their media and tools.
However, there appeared to be an underlying feeling that the sculptors were unhappy with the standard commission collected for their work.
In 2006, sculptors on site said the commission was 35 percent.
It does sound astronomical, but it is not so different from what art galleries elsewhere in Zimbabwe demand.
And because exhibition space is so limited, artists have little choice but to accept the conditions.
Blomefield’s departure may have hurt the Guruve community since it was his idea to transform a tobacco farm into a world renowned sculpture centre but acquisition of the property by Dominic Benhura could be a blessing in disguise.
In February 2010, through Benhura’s initiative, Tengenenge jump-started a tradition that used to be a part of the Guruve community — exhibition.
Sculptors at Tengenenge say the commission is much less than it was in 2006, and at 25 percent, the artists are left with enough to cater for their own welfare.
Benhura may also draw from his vast exhibition experience and help the upcoming sculptors to reach the same heights as he did.
The obvious first step towards re-engagement with the international art community is cataloguing and marketing of the stone products.
Tengenenge is the oldest, most prestigious home of Zimbabwe stone sculpture yet even inside Zimbabwe, very little is known about its history.
Most of all, what there is to know about Tengenenge is in written form and authored by foreign art critics.
The international art community is unlikely to come to Tengenenge with the view of purchasing artworks if the information and images of the sculptures are not properly packaged and easily accessible.
It is vital too that the artists’ works are sold through the official channels to avoid short-changing by foreigners seeking to exploit and loot.
Although they live and work at a farm, Tengenenge sculptors’ livelihoods are not tied to agriculture.
They are the perfect example of what a professional should be like — they depend solely on the income from their work.
It is therefore vital that they receive as much support as they can, especially since they represent the country in an art genre that has put Zimbabwe on the map for decades.
The internet is giving opportunities to younger sculptors, Washington Msonza and Chenjerai Chiripanyanga, who are marketing their works electronically.
Studies have shown that a major challenge to electronic marketing of sculptures is the fear by the prospective buyers being duped.
But it may not be such a big challenge for Tengenenge — an established brand that has been around since 1966.
So much has been written about Tengenenge, and contributions by renowned curator, sculpture analyst and writer, the late Celia Winter Irving, are particularly insightful.
A recent local study noted that 57 percent of sculptors who advertised their products in three dimensional views were registered members of institutions, and this provided them with the right technical support they need to be visible to the international markets.
This means that it is important for art institutions such as Tengenenge to devise ways to help their artists market their work because reputation and tradition of art bodies add value to the marketed products.
The uniqueness of Zimbabwe’s stone sculptures has made Dominic Benhura, Tapfuma Gutsa, Nicholas Mukomberanwa and others household names all over the world.
Unless Tengenenge and other art institutions adapt to the changing environment through consistent internet presence, the Zimbabwe sculpture industry may well be under threat.
With Dominic Benhura at the helm, Tengenenge has a chance to explore every possibility and in the process give Zimbabwean sculptors — for so long ignored by the international community due to politics — a platform to not only re-engage but more importantly, consolidate successes of the past.
Benhura got his big break from somewhere, now he has the opportunity to give hundreds others the same.
Online Reporter