Arts Faculty sparks creativity at Clarens Arts Festival

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 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which outlines the terms of cooperation between the two organisations in relation to the four-day festival, the TUT Arts Festival, as well as workshops and masterclasses that are carried out throughout the year.

From 24 to 27 April, the Departments of Fine and Studio Arts and Interior Design at the Faculty will contribute to the festival programme with their creativity being exhibited on the Clarens Village Square.

The Department of Fine and Studio Arts' offerings include two stalls: one featuring the work of staff, students and alumni, and the second focusing on up-and-coming artists to showcase and sell their work. Glass, ceramics, paintings, jewellery, printmaking, sculpture and surface design will be on sale.

In addition, the Department of Interior Design is collaborating with the Clarens Heritage Association to present sketch tours. The ArtStart Clarens sketching tours begin with a presentation on the history of Clarens, followed by a walking tour of the historical buildings in the town, with a focus on sketching techniques. The workshop will conclude with students writing a love letter to Clarens in the form of a short story, poem or note expressing what they love about the town or the buildings they saw. The results will be exhibited at the festival and prints will be for sale.

Earlier this year, as part of the ArtStart Clarens initiative, Prof Nalini Moodley (Executive Dean) and Dr Nicola Haskins (Dance Lecturer in the Department of Performing Arts) presented a community-based dance workshop called Dancing for Joy. The central learning objective of the workshop was to explore care, responsibility and respect for bodies and the environment.

Designed for high school learners, the workshop involved 200 learners from Clarens Combined and Moriting wa Thuto secondary schools and was facilitated through clear, practical movement tasks. The learners responded extremely positively to the workshop, which increased their bodily awareness, movement confidence and engagement with dance as a tool for social learning.

Later this year, also as part of the ArtStart Clarens project, staff from the Department of Visual Communication (VISCOM) will visit the town and present a practical, hands-on workshop for interested scholars. The workshop will introduce participants to basic visual communication skills, including photography techniques for documenting activities, the principles of visual storytelling and how to create effective social media posts.

Participants will be given a simple assignment to produce photographs and short written pieces reflecting their school or community activities. These will be submitted to the VISCOM team, who will help with the final layout and design of a collaborative digital newsletter. Once completed, the newsletter can be shared on social media platforms and showcased at public events.

The Department of Fashion Design proposes a practical tie-dye workshop to introduce community participants to basic textile surface design techniques. The workshop will cover fabric preparation, folding and binding techniques, dye application, colour combinations and finishing processes. Participants will produce a completed tie-dyed T-shirt during the session.

When asked about the value of the faculty's participation in such festivals, Prof Moodley said: “A critical purpose of universities is to engage meaningfully with communities and this project aligns seamlessly with that mandate. The faculty’s collaboration with the Clarens Arts Festival enables a reciprocal exchange between academic knowledge production and community practice, while fostering creative awareness and skill within the community. Such partnerships extend the university’s impact by situating creative scholarship within lived contexts, thereby strengthening social cohesion and supporting inclusive participation. Therefore, as we engage in other arts festivals, we are delighted to be part of this festival.”

Manie van Schalkwyk, Chairperson of the Clarens Arts Festival Board, highlighted the value of the partnership with TUT for the festival as follows: "This partnership with the Tshwane University of Technology marks an exciting step in the evolution of the Clarens Arts Festival. By bringing together academic excellence and one of South Africa’s most inspiring creative environments, we are creating a platform where emerging voices can engage with established artists and where meaningful creative exchange can flourish.

“It's actually more than participation – it’s about shaping the future of the creative industry by connecting young talent with real-world platforms and audiences.”

To read more about the festival, click on https://clarensartsfestival.co.za/