Jiggetts is All About Art

William Jiggetts is All About Art

An international art collector and patron just returned from a week in Johannesburg, South Africa. William Jiggetts is the Chief Financial Officer of the nonprofit organization called Still Artist Residency Program.

Fifteen donors attended the event and raised $30,000 to fund four-month art residency stints for qualified artists. During their all-expense paid residency budding artists are allowed to flourish without the distractions of mundane matters of life.

The donors left the U.S.A. on August 29 and returned September 9.

Residents can focus on producing a body of work to further their career.  Some do in-depth reading and learning. Not all residents are expected to produce a body of artwork. They are allowed to be free-wheeling artists to find their own path to creativity.

Recipients of the residency are furnished with a stipend, meals, lodging, art supplies and a full concierge service. Recipients can accomplish their singular mission: do art.

Patrons and donors attended many art museums, galleries, and collections.  Many bought works to take home and for placement in collections and museums either now or later.  And all savored good food from a variety of restaurants.

Much of the fanfare of this annual event raises awareness in the community and internationally.

Jiggetts has been an art collector for decades.  Room after room in his home is filled with original paintings and sculptures. The art community embraces him for his singular vision and commitment; and he eventually became the chief financial officer.

The nonprofit organization is founded in New Jersey, but the beneficiaries live in South Africa.

Because one of the recent recipients live in Soweto, the contingent of patrons toured the town.  Despite the fact that it has been 30 years since the demise of apartheid, the town is still bleak, Jiggetts said.

Jiggetts’ commitment to art stretches back decades.  He has more than 100 original pieces of art in his home. His goal is simple: to found a museum of African-American art and fill it with his personal collection and pieces from many others.

His mantra is simple: art is important and necessary.  Let’s support it.