by Gerrit Bester TUT's Faculty of Arts and Design is joining the Clarens Arts Festival for the first time, bringing new voices to the renowned event in the picturesque town of Clarens in the Eastern Free State. Since its establishment in 2022, the festival has consistently brought together renowned artists, performers and audiences, turning Clarens into a vibrant hub where language, heritage and creative expression converge.   TUT's collaboration with the festival is based on

by Gerrit Bester Teaching and learning in the Faculty of Arts & Design’s Interior Design Department has become more hands-on with the launch of a Sample Room, powered by student creativity and industry collaboration. In interior design, a sample room is essential for exploring and specifying materials. It enables informed decisions about material application, sustainability, maintenance and aesthetic qualities, helping students design in response to real client requirements.

by Gerrit Bester From flying solo in Pretoria, to a collaboration in Witklipfontein, the Tshwane University of Technology’s Cow Mashilo, aka Cow Mash, shares her art with varied audiences in the coming months. Firstly, Cow, a lecturer in Fibre Arts in the Department of Fine and Studio Arts at the Faculty of Arts and Design, hosts a solo exhibition titled 𝙙𝙞𝙩š𝙬𝙖𝙩š𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 currently on at the Javett-UP’s Reimagined Tower Gallery. 𝙙𝙞𝙩š𝙬𝙖𝙩š𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜, translated

by Gerrit Bester The TUT Faculty of Arts and Design’s Spotlight on Postgraduate Studies, Research & Innovation on 23 March highlighted the challenges visually impaired consumers face when choosing clothing. In his presentation titled Effectiveness of a clothing selection guide for visually impaired individuals in Gauteng, South Africa , Dr Aubrey Ramatla from the Department of Fashion Design discussed the challenges visually impaired consumers encounter, including colour iden

by Gerrit Bester Lungisani Mjaji, a Commercial Photography alumnus, shot to fame when a photo he took of his niece carrying an Albany loaf went viral on social media. He now has a film screening at the IMAX theatre. What true story inspired your short film, The Float , and what themes did you want the audience to feel or understand?  Growing up in villages across South Africa, many of us disobeyed our parents, and sadly, we lost childhood friends along the way. My short film

Visit the paved area in front of Building 26 on the TUT Arts Campus on Thursday, 19 March, between 9:30 and 15:30, when second-year Painting students will be hosting a pop-up exhibition called 'Arts Campus Through Fresh Eyes.' This is the students’ first project of the year. “We call it their ‘24 Hour Painting’ project because they’re expected to complete it within 24 hours spread over a few days,” says Danielle Malherbe, Painting lecturer who oversees the project. “The subje

by Gerrit Bester The TUT Research Niche Area: Artivism as a Tool to Combat Gender-Based Violence(s) hosted a collaborative workshop for Faculty of Arts & Design staff to shape the Women in the Arts initiative 2026. The workshop, hosted on 16 March, introduced a bold concept: a programme that celebrates and foregrounds the contributions of women in the arts, with a special emphasis on African women artists. It offered a real opportunity for staff to shape the initiative across

by Gerrit Bester George Temba, an alum of the Tshwane University of Technology, won the Best Student Film award at the 2026 Joburg Film Festival for his film The Silent Inheritance . At the awards gala held at the Theatre on the Square in Sandton on Saturday, 7 March, the spotlight was shone on the bright future of the young and emerging talent that is driving South Africa’s film industry forward. The award recognises the exceptional standard of student entries, some of which

by Gerrit Bester The academic project at the TUT Faculty of Arts & Design maintains momentum with the latest Spotlight on Teaching & Learning session, New Programme Development & Accreditation , on 9 March. During the event, focusing on moving new qualifications from concept to approval, the facilitators, Dr Herman Botes (Acting Assistant Dean of Teaching and Learning) and Dr Priscilla Tshisikhawe Nesamvuni (Acting Director of Curriculum Development and Support), explained th

by Gerrit Bester Ngwato , a feature film directed and produced by Tumisho Mahlase, a lecturer in Motion Picture Production at TUT, will premiere at the Joburg Film Festival on Friday, 6 March. Without giving too much away, Ngwato , centred on identity, follows a father–son relationship. The story unfolds when the main character, Ngwato (portrayed by alumnus and part-time lecturer, Gifter Ngobebi), contemplates telling his father that his fiancé proposed and wants to marry him

Six new students added their voices to the Faculty of Arts and Design’s welcome event for first-years earlier this year, each sharing why they chose TUT as their academic home. Prof Nalini Moodley, Executive Dean, originally offered a prize of brunch for the best presentation, which sparked excitement. Inspired by the energy, however, Prof Moodley decided to mingle with all six students. She kept her promise and spent time informally with everyone on 4 March, connecting with

The Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Arts and Design lit up in orange on Monday, 2 March, to spotlight Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and honour those affected with compassion and solidarity. The activation, Claiming Orange in Spaces , took place at the Heidehof Residence on the Arts Campus and kicked off a year-long series of monthly engagements for 2026. Each last Thursday of the month, the TUT community is invited to stand together in a visible, collective stance

ROTOCON has launched its fourth annual student wine label design competition in partnership with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The competition is open to undergraduate students in TUT’s Faculty of Arts & Design, Department of Visual Communication (Integrated Communication Design (ICD). A total of 57 students are participating this year. SA Litho Label Printers will again collaborate with ROTOCON by printing the winning label. Polyflex Premedia has joined the 202

by Gerrit Bester   Mellaney Roberts, lecturer in the Department of Fine and Studio Arts, TUT Faculty of Arts and Design, is the proud winner of the RDC Art Collection Award (also known as the RDC Acquisition Prize).   This prestigious annual prize was presented as part of the recent Investec Cape Town Art Fair by the RDC Property Group.   The award recognises an artist whose work aligns with the group's values of sustainability, community and innovation, offering them acquisi

by Gerrit Bester Dr Rostislava Pashkevitch-Ngobeni performed at the International Women’s Day celebrations in her native Bulgaria for the first time when she was just six years old. Now, she has been invited back to perform once more, this time as the headline act at a concert celebrating International Women's Day 2026. Dr Pashkevitch-Ngobeni, Head of the Department of Performing Arts at the Faculty of Arts and Design of the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), vividly rec

Karendra Devroop, Professor of Music at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and a celebrated saxophonist, is on his way to Europe, where he will perform at two international concerts in March.   The first of these will take place in Udine, Italy, where he will perform with an orchestra, playing works by Astor Piazzolla that have been arranged by the internationally acclaimed composer and arranger Trino Jiménez from Venezuela.   Prof Devroop, who is based in the Departm

by Gerrit Bester Prof Nalini Moodley, Executive Dean of Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Arts and Design, declared 2026 a year of collaboration, mobilising her constituency around a shared goal at the Faculty Forum. Prof Moodley outlined the Faculty’s strategic direction for 2026 on 20 February, highlighting exciting projects and how the Faculty will align its work with that of the strategy of the university. She also included a critical reflection on how the Fac

by Gerrit Bester The intricate relationship between music and identity among Indian communities in South Africa, particularly during and after apartheid, lies at the heart of the new book Raag Mala – Indian Voices in Apartheid South Africa (1900 – 1990) . Co-authored by Prof Chatradari Devroop, Research Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), the work offers an overview of existing research on music and Indian diasporic commu

The Faculty of Arts and Design is committed to continually elevating its teaching and learning offerings and this year’s inaugural Spotlight on Teaching and Learning session zoomed in on Best Practice in my TUTor modules.   This first session for 2026 on 9 February recognised the work of lecturers who have been creating high-quality learning experiences on my TUTor and provided a space for colleagues to benchmark their own modules,   learn practical approaches and share ideas

by Gerrit Bester Nestled on 24 Du Toit Street, the Tshwane University of Technology’s Arts Campus now buzzes with the energy of 516 first-year students. This year’s cohort was selected from a pool of over 10 000 applicants and is pursuing studies across Fine and Studio Arts, Interior Design, Performing Arts, Visual Communication and Fashion Design. On 6 February at noon, the students were officially welcomed to the Faculty of Arts and Design during a memorable welcome event.