The Department of Visual Arts, located within the School of Visual and Performing Arts in the Faculty of Humanities. The Department has a long and distinguished history, originating from South Africa’s oldest art school, the Port Elizabeth Art School, founded in 1882.

 

Vision 

Our Visual Arts students are locally and globally recognised for their ability to conduct practice-based research and create innovative, contextually sensitive visual art and design, thereby enabling employment for themselves and others.

 

Mission 

We develop, empower and build confidence in our students in order to nurture their authentic means of creative expression.

 

We do this through transformative, inclusive research-based learning and teaching and the creation of safe spaces for growth and expression in the field of visual

arts and design. 

 

Our holistic approach encompasses life skills, creative ideation, problem solving and entrepreneurship.

 

We encourage the development of transferrable skills and lifelong learning, to facilitate sustainable career paths. 

 

We value community engagement and build on localised knowledge. We embrace an Afrikan worldview while building global and local connections in our disciplines.