South African-born artist Ira van der Merwe is a woman with many stories to tell. The embodiment of creativity and education, she lives to learn, encourage, repurpose and create.

After obtaining her first qualification from the University of Pretoria in 2002 in Arts Education, Ira pursued a career in teaching art and subsequently obtained an Honours degree in Art History from the University of South Africa in 2012. Her years as resident art teacher at Willowridge High firmly cemented her call to educate and she has since sought out every opportunity to teach, assist and facilitate, be it as volunteer or employee.

Most of her adventures and stories are the result of being half-Dutch and being wife to a traveling engineer-cum-academic. The challenges of ex-pat living are, however, bravely faced with a dash of humour and a can-do-attitude.

Ira van der Merwe Art is listed on Worldwide’s World Guide free of charge.

The World Guide is where South African businesses from all over the world come together to form a community. Currently, the guide has just over 1 000 listed businesses, from Afrikaans doctors in New Zealand, to biltong shops in London.

Networks are more than mere businesses; it is also a valuable way of building a support base for those days when the longing for a South African wine, gathering around a braai fire and the Afrikaner hospitality becomes too much.