UNAM’s Annual Student Art Exhibition Expanding its range

‘I Live Art’, the UNAM Annual Student Art Exhibition is on at the FNCC Gallery and extends to the UNAM Art Gallery and the Goethe Centre/NaDS Auditorium until 26 November.

Every year the Visual and Performing Arts Department at the University of Namibia (UNAM) hosts an exhibition that has grown in strength over the years and the quality of works produced now deserves a larger platform. Student works from first to fourth year are exhibited. The selection represents an overview of the five major disciplines offered by the Visual Arts Section of the Visual & Performing Arts Department at UNAM. Apart from encouraging creative proficiency, the department accentuates a theoretical foundation in both Western and African Visual Culture and an entrepreneurial application to the Namibian arts industry. Social interests are also an important motivation in the works of the students, which promise to provide the visitor with thought-provoking challenges.

The 2010 selection showcases the visual results of an intense and challenging academic year incorporating diverse curriculum and outreach activities. Other highlights the department has enjoyed this year include the donation by Standard Bank Namibia of a major sponsorship for bursaries and extra-curricular activities on 30 March; the Tulipamwe Collection Retrospective Exhibition opened by Prof Peter Katjavivi in June followed by the Indonesian Embassysponsored Batik Workshop and Lynette Diergaardt representing the department at the SABS Design Achievers Awards at the end of May in South Africa.

Ester Iyambo and Beatrice Yeboah were among the selected participants of the Bank Windhoek Mentorship Programme under the leadership of Liezl Louw. Fashion student Ester Iyambo was chosen to participate in the Berlin Fashion/Jewellery and Accessories Designer Exchange Workshop and Fashion Show on the theme of ‘Sustainable Fashion’ and Master’s students Samuel Amukete, Ervast Mutota (Creative Expression) and final-year students Loiny Augustinus (Fashion and Textiles) as well as Philipus Sheehama (Textiles and Creative Expression) had poster presentations at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Second Annual Research Conference (23-24 September 2010).