THE recently launched National Gallery School of Visual Art and Design (NGSVAD) in Mbare is set to enroll its first batch of students.
Report by Tinashe Sibanda
The school has called for aspiring artists to apply for various courses and will be receiving entry submissions until November 30.
Formally known as BAT and Visual Art Studios, the school is set to become the first fully-functional exclusive art and design tertiary facility in the country.
The school started developing programmes for its new courses last year following the appointment of Curator for Education, Tashinga Matindike-Gondo.
The process commenced under the guidance of the executive director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe Doreen Sibanda and her deputy Raphael Chikukwa.
“The school has come a long way from the heady, experimental days of the Workshop School before independence to the new millennium’s distinctive artistic challenges,” said Sibanda.
She said as BAT and Visual Art Studios, the school had been instrumental in offering art education to Zimbabweans and every year a new group of talented school leavers was enrolled.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Sibanda said the students would be awarded qualifying Certificates of Achievements and Competence in Visual Arts and Design by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in association with the Harare Polytechnic.
“Level 1 Certificate of Achievement requires ability to read and write English, a proven interest in art as a subject and a portfolio of at least 10 artworks. “Level 2 Certificate of Competence requires a successful completion of Level 1 with at least 50% pass rate for practicals and at least 50% pass rate for theory,” she said.
Sibanda added that practical subjects such as design, painting, printmaking, sculpture, drawing and photography would be covered as well as theoretical content in support of the practical subjects.
“In the long run, the school will join a whole score of other local and regional art schools and departments that include Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe Institute of Digital Arts, Harare Polytechnic, Midlands State University and regionally, the University of Cape Town, the Open University in Zambia, the University in Mozambique as well as University of South Africa, all offering formal training in art discipline,” she said.
