Joe Blog

We often talk about how fast Johannesburg grew from a mining town to a metropolis. Within just two decades of its founding, the young city had laid down its key civic institutions — the first hospital, public library, post office, parks. And by 1915, the Johannesburg Art Gallery, a Beaux-Arts landmark designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, housing one of the finest art collections in the southern hemisphere.

But as with all that grows, every city faces seasons of change and decline. And the beloved JAG, along with the wider Joubert Park precinct, is currently in a sad state indeed. Yet as Clive Chipkin, one of Johannesburg’s most prolific architectural historians, wrote: “there has never been a shortage of men and women stepping forward with visions of a better society, even of utopias on Johannesburg’s once brown and desolate kopjes.”

Join the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation for a reflective journey around Joubert Park and the Johannesburg Art Gallery — one of our city’s most significant cultural institutions built in the spirit of civic pride and public service. Led by David Fleminger and Kgao Mashego, this walking tour traces the precinct’s layered history, the changing fortunes of the JAG, and the civic activism shaping its future.

Please note: we plan to walk through Joubert Park as part of this tour. Please leave your valuables at home and take care of your phones/cameras. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring along sun protection and drinking water.

All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale. And don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.