Two students from the Tshwane University of Technology's Faculty of Arts and Design have secured a place among South Africa's most promising emerging designers after being selected as finalists in the Pierre Cardin Young Designers Award 2026 Johannesburg Edition. Bofelo Endy Senonohi, an Advanced Diploma Fashion Design student, and Priscilla Raphela, a Postgraduate Fashion Design student, have been chosen as two of only 20 finalists from across the country to compete in the p

What happens when the creative possibilities of glass meet the technical demands of functional lighting design? A collaborative project between the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Departments of Fine & Studio Arts and Interior Design challenged students to answer this through practice — developing commercially viable luminaire concepts and taking selected designs from technical resolution through to full-scale prototyping at Ngwenya Glass in Eswatini. The Ngwenya Lum

by Gerrit Bester Nina Newman, a lecturer in the Department of Fine and Studio Arts' Jewellery Programme at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), made history when she became the first recipient of a Doctor of Art & Design (Jewellery Design & Manufacture) degree conferred by TUT at the Faculty of Arts and Design graduation ceremony on the Pretoria Campus on 13 October. This achievement marks a significant milestone for both her and the field. TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR

by Gerrit Bester At the TUT Artivism Conference 2026: Reimagining Futures, photographer Vishern Debiky invites audiences to reconsider what they think they know about homelessness, dignity and belonging in South Africa's urban spaces. Through his exhibition, The Promised Land: Egoli: The City of Gold, Debiky turns his lens towards Johannesburg's inner city. Yet his intention is not to document poverty. Instead, he seeks to reveal the humanity often concealed behind the label

by Gerrit Bester The 2026 Artivism Conference, Reimagining Futures, brought together artists, activists and scholars from across the globe to explore how creative practice can confront injustice and imagine new possibilities. Among the emerging voices contributing to these conversations was Maanbu Thalapathi (27), a doctoral candidate in the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Faculty of Arts and Design, whose journey from Chennai, India, to Pretoria reflects not only the

by Gerrit Bester The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Artivism Conference 2026 officially opened on 1 October with a call for artists, designers, academics and activists to contribute to more just, inclusive and sustainable futures through creative practice. Hosted by the TUT Faculty of Arts and Design in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the South African Journal of Art History (SAJAH), the City of Tshwane and the National Arts Council (NAC),

by Gerrit Bester Visitors to the TUT Arts Festival are stopping to admire the striking ceramic artworks on display, but behind the beautifully crafted pieces stands an artist whose life story is as remarkable as the work he creates. At 58, Phineas Makhwiting, a part-time lecturer in the Department of Fine and Studio Arts within the Faculty of Arts and Design, has spent years proving that determination and passion can overcome even the greatest challenges. A ceramics speci

by Gerrit Bester Students and alumni from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Faculty of Arts and Design have once again demonstrated their creative excellence in one of South Africa’s most prestigious visual arts competitions, the Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition, one of the country’s longest-running art competitions. The winners were announced at the Pretoria Art Museum on 9 September. Inga Lokwe, a Master’s student in Fine and Applied Arts specialising i

by Gerrit Bester Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping conversations across the creative industries. Against this backdrop, the Department of Visual Communication at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) is inviting audiences to engage critically with the technology through a thought-provoking exhibition at the TUT Arts Festival. Rather than avoiding AI or viewing it as a threat, the project uses the technology as a starting point for discussion and experi

The eighth Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Arts Festival, presented by the Faculty of Arts and Design, will showcase what is possible through collaboration from 10 – 12 September on the TUT Arts Campus. Staff and students have been working together to create a programme that showcases the talent of our young creatives and offers the public an opportunity to enjoy the work of our internationally renowned staff. Building on our Artivism theme, the focus this year is

Few academic leaders have shaped education, scholarship and social advocacy as consistently as Prof Nalini Moodley. With more than three decades of experience and a career dedicated to gender equality, mentorship and the transformative power of the arts, she continues to influence both higher education and society, most recently using the Dr Sam Nzima Memorial Lecture to highlight how visual culture can preserve memory, inspire dialogue and drive social change. Prof Moodley

by Gerrit Bester The Department of Interior Design in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) continues to strengthen graduate employability through meaningful industry engagement initiatives aimed at preparing students for the demands of the professional world. Approximately 21 second-year Interior Design students recently participated in the department's annual Work Readiness Workshop held at Hotel 224. The initiative forms part of the d

by Gerrit Bester Mellaney Roberts, lecturer in the Department of Fine and Studio Arts in the Tshwane University of Technology's (TUT) Faculty of Arts and Design, has received national recognition after winning the Outstanding Visual Artist Award at the 2026 National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA). The award was presented at a gala event hosted by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture at Sun City on 21 August and celebrates excellence across South Africa's arts, cultur

The Department of Performing Arts (Vocal Art) at the Tshwane University of Technology's Faculty of Arts and Design, will present From Napoli to Broadway, a carefully curated programme featuring some of the greatest crossover hits of recent times at the Breytenbach Theatre this August. Audiences will enjoy well-known Neapolitan songs performed in a three-tenor style, alongside some of Broadway’s most celebrated musical numbers, creating an accessible and enjoyable experience.

The Journeys That Carried Us! The Dean's Concert 2026, presented by the Faculty of Arts and Design, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), is a powerful musical production that transforms the stage into a symbolic railway, where every song is a station and every performance carries audiences through stories of courage, resilience, hope and celebration. The production, staged in collaboration with the South African State Theatre on 9 September at 19:00 in the Drama Theatre, w

by Gerrit Bester Jewellery students at the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT’s) Faculty of Arts and Design have embraced Artificial Intelligence (AI) to design pieces of jewellery that speak out against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). “There is currently an endless debate about whether students should use AI in higher education,” says Thabang Mamabolo, a Jewellery lecturer who initiated the project. “The reality, however, is that AI is inevitable. Inste

Understanding and addressing Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) requires society to confront the deeper structural inequalities embedded in contemporary social and economic systems, according to Prof Rasigan Maharajh, Professor of Public Affairs at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Faculty of Humanities. He delivered the closing keynote address at the 3rd annual Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Symposium hosted by the TUT Faculty of Arts and Design on

by Gerrit Bester A live theatrical performance took centre stage at the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) 3rd Annual Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Symposium on 6 August, demonstrating the power of art as a tool for activism, reflection and social change. Held under the theme Resonant Voices: Artivism Against Silences, the symposium brings together close to 200 researchers, artists, students, policymakers and community stakeholders to explore innovative resp

by Gerrit Bester The Tshwane University of Technology's (TUT's) Faculty of Arts and Design celebrated a significant milestone on Saturday, 11 July, marking 30 years of glass education in South Africa. The celebration, held as part of Glass Safari 2026, honoured a programme that has grown from an ambitious vision at Technikon Pretoria in 1996 into one of Southern Africa's leading centres for contemporary glass education. The occasion brought together the programme's founding v

The Faculty of Arts and Design Library Readathon and Writathon at the Tshwane University of Technology will take place on the Arts Campus from 29 to 31 July 2026. A three-day creative and literary experience is planned, designed to motivate and build on traditional reading and writing skills and to transform stories into live, shared experiences. Participants will take part in activities such as reading challenges, writing contests and spoken-word performances, as well as hav