In a timely announcement coinciding with Human Rights Day and the commemorative Human Rights Month in South Africa, the Department of Visual Communication, Faculty of Arts and Design, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), proudly announced its collaboration with the esteemed exhibition Women's Rights Are Human Rights. Organised and curated by Elizabeth Resnick, Professor Emerita of Graphic Design at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, USA, the exhibition will be a central feature of the TUT Faculty of Arts and Design annual Arts Festival this coming September 2024.
This partnership is not only a celebration of human rights but also a call to action against gender-based inequality and discrimination.
Women's Rights Are Human Rights leverages the powerful medium of poster art to address the intertwined nature of women's rights and human rights, echoing the sentiments of Hillary Rodham Clinton's ground-breaking speech at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. By featuring works created by both men and women, the exhibition challenges gender inequalities, stereotypes and the barriers that prevent women and girls from realising their full potential in societies worldwide.
“The collaboration with the Department of Visual Communication invites students to produce their own interpretations in response to the exhibition's themes. This initiative not only offers students a platform to showcase their creativity but also serves as an educational experience that underscores the role of visual communication in advocating for social change and human rights,” says Dr Herman Botes, Head of the Department of Visual Communication.
“By launching this collaborative project during Human Rights Month, the Faculty of Arts and Design highlights its commitment to addressing human rights issues through activism in art and design, to align with the Faculty’s artivism theme. This initiative is an opportunity for students to contribute to an important global conversation on gender equality and to use their talents to advocate for a world where the rights of all, irrespective of gender, are recognised and respected,” Dr Botes adds.
As the Faculty prepares for the exhibition and the student responses in September 2024, the TUT community and the public are invited to engage with these critical issues. This collaboration not only spotlights the power of visual arts in social advocacy but also honours the University’s collective commitment to human rights and gender equality during a month that reminds individuals of the importance of standing up for the rights and dignity of all people.
Some of the posters that will be featured as part of an exhibition, Women's Rights Are Human Rights, which leverages the powerful medium of poster art to address the intertwined nature of women's rights and human rights. The exhibition will be a central feature of the TUT Faculty of Arts and Design annual Arts Festival in September.