The Documentation Project began in 1996, as part of  VAC programme  of collecting visual and literal data country wide and preserve information in the data bank on Zambian visual arts and crafts at Henry Tayali Visual Arts Centre - Documentation office. This data is collected in form of questionnaires for CVs, on slides, colour prints, and video recordings. The data bank and VAC Web - site  www.vac.org.zm under construction will soon  give better exposure of Zambian contemporary visual arts and crafts.

The Documentation Centre has embarked on a book project: “Contemporary Visual Art of Zambia and its History. It also produces ART.TITUDE newsletter, exhibition catalogues, invitation cards, membership cards, report covers, E-mail services, brochures and does graphic designs. These services provided keep improving the artists’ image.

VAC is run by artists   themselves through an elected National Executive Committee voted into office to serve on voluntary basis for a period of two years. The committee comprises   of The Chairman, Vice Chairman , the Secretary, Vice Secretary, treasurer and Five committee members .

The Management Committee is made up of the National Executive Committee and Provincial Chairpersons from nine VAC branches national wide. This may include officials from National Arts Council , VAC Patron as ex-officials.
     

The VAC Secretariat is made up of the Centre Manager, Accountant, Centre Secretary, Gallery Attendant, Care Taker  and the Guard. The Documentation Centre is manned by a  Documentalist, Photographer and Research Assistant. The Secretariat execute duties as supervised by the VAC Executive Committee hence the Secretariat runs the Henry Tayali Visual Arts Centre business on a daily basis and National Programmes, through out the year, even on weekends whenever there is an art exhibition or workshop.

Being a non- profit making organisation VAC invariably enjoys and appreciates the kind support of NORAD (the main donor), HIVOS (a Dutch organisation based in Zimbabwe), and the National Arts Council (NAC) a government organ that oversees the promotion of all arts in Zambia. Other support and cooperation that is equally appreciated, comes from KEPA-Zambia, Swedish, German, Japanese Embassies, Finnida, British Council, American Centre, Ndeke Hotel, Lusaka Museum, Evelyn Hone College Art Section and of course the Lusaka Show Society.

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Born in Serenje, Zambia in 1943, Henry Tayali’s talent was evident so early that he had his first exhibition at the age of 15, in Bulawayo , Zimbabwe where he then lived.
    
He had already developed the social and political conscience, the African nationalism, the deep concern for Africa’s urban masses uncomfortably uprooted from their traditions, which inspired all his work. He was one of the foremost Zambian artist to be known in the international circle of art. Tayali developed artistically from his first major, untutored and representional work, Destiny, to his unexplained Red Abstract via a BA in Fine Arts from Uganda’s Makerere University and an MA in Fine Arts from Dusseldorf Art College, West Germany.
     
Tayali was  tireless in his efforts to get a school of Fine Arts established in Zambia, in which  endeavour he was bureaucratically frustrated. As a University Artist at the University of Zambia, he was endlessly involved in art workshops, seminars, projects and every committee in involved in artistic development. Tayali is  best remembered for his works , The Bull  along the Lusaka International Airport road, and The Graduate  which is at the graduation grounds of the University of Zambia, as well as the  Henry Tayali Visual Art Centre , for being named after this illustrious son of Zambia.

Paid up members enjoy the right to vote at an AGM. The member artists are given first priority in VAC programmes like art workshops, seminars, conferences, international art exchange programmes and residencies, including eligibility in the Ngoma Awards art competition. There are many other benefits which can only be known if only you could join VAC as  shown above.