Use of Studios

Studio spaces, and all other spaces in and outside of the School buildings, are to be respected and maintained in an appropriate manner throughout the year by the students who are using them.

Each student is responsible for ensuring that the studio and workshop spaces used during the year are, at all times, in a condition appropriate for teaching and learning, and, where necessary, for the exhibition of work during assessments. Furniture and other equipment in studio and workshop spaces are subject to the same requirement. Students who do not adhere to these conditions will be liable for replacement or repair of lost or damaged property and in cases of abuse or theft, will face disciplinary action by the University.

The studios are essentially repurposed spaces – they were not originally constructed as art studios but functioned as offices and a dental hospital. In this spirit, the studio spaces need to be flexible, communal / shared spaces that can adapt to different courses, individual creative practices and activities.

Please do not remove desks, chairs, stools, easels, palettes and other furniture or materials from the first/second year studios, Sculpture, Painting and Printmaking studios as this severely compromises the teaching program.

Postgraduate studios for 2023 are spread between WSOA, Es’kia Mphalele Building 7th floor (EMB-7) and 9 Wolmarans Street, Braamfontein (Wolmarans Studios).

• Honours students are given a studio for up to one year of fulltime study, MAFA for up to two years, PhD for up to three years and are expected to vacate their studio by the date stipulated on their contract (Hons students vacate by 20 December and MAFA/PhD students by 20 January of every year). This is nonnegotiable as studios have to be readied for the new postgrad students and studios cannot be held back for students until February/March/April examination dates.

c• Any student who completes their practical component ahead of the timeframe above, or the date stipulated on their contract, and submits for examination will have to vacate their studio within one month of their examination date as the Department is under strain for studio space. Studios cannot simply be used after practical examination as writing spaces – the postgraduate computer lab is to be used for this.

• Studio spaces are allocated by the postgraduate coordinator and no subletting or alternate arrangements are permitted without their permission or knowledge.

• There are strict Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) protocols in place for use of studios during and after-hours. Students have to sign a legal University document complying to OHS protocols before being given access to studios after-hours. No studios can be used after-hours when there is loadshedding.

• Studio keys are given out only once studio contracts have been signed and key deposits (R50.00) have been paid to the Departmental Administrator, WSOA Building, Room 314 (key deposits can also be collected from the administrator on leaving the studio).

• As our studio spaces are limited, students are expected to share studios, a common practice in art schools and artist studios, and we do our best to combine compatible practitioners working in the same or at least complimentary media.

• The dialogues between students in shared studios and with studio neighbours are important for our postgraduate culture. Music – which is a personal preference – is expected to be played on personal headphones or negotiated with other listeners.

• No smoking (of any kind) is allowed in any building in the University, including courtyards.

• All equipment must be loaned out and returned timeously.

• Common spaces should be treated with respect and used communally. There is a kitchenette in EMB-7 and Wolmaran, with a coffee machine and printer – R5.00 if charged for a coffee and 50c per page for printing, which should be deposited in the petty cash box situated next to the printer. To use the printer, please contact Emeleda Simalane to download the software on your laptop. The monies are used to replenish coffee, tea, etc.

Dishes must be washed, spaces and rubbish tidied up (this is not the job of the cleaners).

• You are expected to maintain and keep your studios clean and not compromise others with the use of unsafe or toxic processes/materials.

• Studio management is facilitated by the Workshop and Studio Assistant Bongumusa Shezi (Bongumusa.Shezi@wits.ac.za).

• At the end of the loan period, studios are expected to be cleaned out of all artwork – the Department has no facilities to store any artwork (not even for short spaces of time). Studios are to be returned in the condition in which they were provided, with keys returned to Bongumusa Shezi and key deposits collected from the Administrator. Bongumusa will check that studio spaces are returned in the condition in which they are loaned before giving the Administrator the go-ahead to pay back deposits.

• No non-Fine Art student is permitted use of any Fine Arts equipment, materials, workshop or lab spaces and is not allowed in Fine Arts laboratory and workshop spaces after-hours.

• Under COVID-conditions, strict protocols are in place regarding masking, sanitising, physical distancing, rotation regarding use of space and other University OHS protocols. These were outlined to you during the COVID orientation and are available on the Ulwazi PG course module and you are expected to familiarise yourself with them and abide by them in order to use the studios.

You are asked to respect and take responsibility for the spaces you are occupying and make them your own, which includes the following:

• Keeping the studios in good working condition – please report any faults immediately to the Workshop and Studio Assistant Bongumusa Shezi. While cleaners are employed to regularly clean the studios, you are asked to generally assist in maintaining a constructive and inspiring working environment. A student representative for each space will be nominated each year and will liaise with Bongumusa to communicate any space requirements/fault reporting.

• The studios are only for working, and after-hours access up to 10pm is only granted if you sign the OHS legal document - no sleeping overnight or living in studios is permitted, neither is any subletting of studios.

• The use of hotplates is only permitted during working hours and should not be left unattended. No use of hotplates is allowed during the evenings or night.

• Students who are on abeyance are required to vacate their studios for the duration of their abeyance.

• Please display your name on studio doors, as well as your contact details should staff or security need to get in touch with you urgently.

• Keep the furniture, easels and equipment clean and in good working order, even if they have been used by many students over several years.

• Use drop-sheets when painting. Some spaces do not allow for particular modes of production – students allocated spaces in WSoA12A for instance will not be allowed to engage in any other production besides photography and video work (please alert the postgraduate coordinator immediately if this space is not suitable for your artistic production).

• Work process and work ethic: respect each other with how you work in the space, e.g. use of power tools, paint, music etc.

• Do not block any fire exits with furniture, materials, equipment, artwork.

• Avoid blocking the drains with paint or oil and dispose of material such as paint, plaster-of-Paris, cement, clay, oil etc. appropriately. Use appropriate bins to collect and recycle solvents such as turpentine, NEVER pour these solvents into the drains. Chemical drums are available in the Darkroom, the Painting and Printmaking studios for the disposal of chemicals, turpentine, thinners and various oils.

• For any needs or repairs in the studios (furniture, lighting, plugs, window covers, partitions etc.), paint or any permanent fixtures you want to change or add, speak to the relevant studio assistants, technical and academic staff. Get permission first, this is important!

The technical and spatial installation of your artwork for open studios is an integral part of your studies, practice and production. As part of thinking and working curatorially, you are asked to familiarise yourself with the architectural specifics of available spaces; hanging and installation systems; measuring; the use of the appropriate hardware and tools for the installation and de-installation of your work (i.e., the use of specific types of wall plugs/screws for brick wall, wood or dry walling; appropriate use of nails; handling power drills, use of spirit levels, etc.) As a principle, do not use double-sided tape to hang your work anywhere.

Some spaces require that you need to book out the space in advance and sign a studio use form with the relevant manager of the space (your year coordinator can give you more info on who manages particular spaces) – there are special booking and installation requirements for EMB-7 seminar room and Wolmarans exhibiton space (please contact Bongumusa for the booking form for these spaces).

You are required to restore the walls, floors, ceiling and lighting to the required standards after any display of work. This includes fixing, patching and painting holes in walls, removing nails, staples or tape from walls and partitioning boards. Short workshops can be arranged with the workshop staff on the basic practical and technical know-how. Students are encouraged to support each other and get input from staff where needed.

Leaving Your Studio (End of Contract)

You are responsible for leaving the studio space as you found it: clean, the walls restored (holes etc. are fixed correctly) and painted white, the floors cleaned (paint and oil stains removed) and the furniture in good order and in place. Remove any of your material or artworks, including unwanted items and data from the shared computers in the labs by the due date.

The Department reserves the right to dispose of work found in studios and on computers after the 20th of December and 20th of January each year, in preparation for the next postgraduate cohort.

Specialised Facilities

The Department of Fine Arts has various specialised facilities available for student use during the course of their degrees.

The Workshop

The Workshop is located on the Ground Floor of the Art House Building next to The Nunnery. The workshop is managed by the Workshop Senior Technician, Daniel Gray, and the Workshop Assistant, Godfrey Mahlangu who will introduce you to the working hours, the use of machines and tools, health and safety rules in the workshop, tool and gear take-out, group and individual appointment system, etc. The use of the workshop is strictly for undergraduate and postgraduate Fine Arts students and staff. Access to these facilities is further monitored in terms of OHS requirements. Daniel and Godfrey are available to consult and assist you with the use of tools, finding solutions and the realisation of your ideas/artwork production and installation.

Tools and equipment are available for loan or use in the workshop (some of these may be limited or not possible for use after-hours). When taking out tools, you are responsible for returning them in working condition on the due date. Penalties will apply to late returns. Lost, stolen, or damaged tools / equipment must be replaced by the person who has signed them out. Safety standards must be observed at all times. You are responsible for learning and adhering to the safe and appropriate use of power tools and machines available in the workshop, and to respect the standard safety precautions. Safety protective gear (goggles, particle masks, respirator masks, safety shoes) must be worn while working with machinery in the workshop.

Please adhere to the booking and access times specified by the workshop staff.

Daniel Gray, Senior Technician, Workshop

daniel.gray@wits.ac.za | 011717 4633

Godfrey Mahlangu, Workshop Assistant godfrey.mahlangu@wits.ac.za | 011 717 4633

The Photography Section

The Photography Section comprises the photography studio and workspace, digital printing facilities, photographic, video and sound recording equipment, black & white darkroom and processing facilities, and the Fine Arts Computer Lab.

These facilities are managed by the Photography Technician, Neo Ntsoma, and are located on the Ground Floor of the WSOA building. Students may borrow equipment from the equipment store. There is a booking system and equipment is issued at specific times only. The equipment issuing hours are posted on the noticeboards in the photography section. A list of equipment that students have access to is available from the Photography Technician. Loan periods vary according to demand, but generally equipment is loaned out for a week at a time. Late returns will be fined. In cases where equipment is long overdue, the Department of Fine Arts may impose further penalties, e.g. restrictions on further loans for a certain period of time, relative to the period of the overdue return or refer the case to the University Legal Office.

The computers in the Fine Arts Computer Lab have the Adobe CC Suite with Photoshop, Lightroom, AdobeBridge, Adobe Premiere being the main software used in the teaching program. The computers are used for the production of work for the undergraduate and postgraduate Fine Arts degrees only. The Computer Lab Code of Conduct must be signed by each student and adhered to at all times. Access to the Lab is controlled by access card.

The digital printing facility is available for specialised photographic printing. Postgraduate students are required to pay for printing, as their Redirected/Lab Fees do not cover printing costs. These payments are made directly into the photography account and cash is not accepted. The darkroom is equipped with enlargers and all the requirements for black and white film processing. A basic amount of chemistry is available to students.

A minimum notice period is required for printing - for PG students for their exhibitions, we need at least three weeks’ notice for their exam printing. Please find the link to the Printing Application Form here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0AA4ohYTYGr3vUk9PVA

Neo Ntsoma, Photography Technician

Neo.Ntsoma@wits.ac.za | 011 717 4625

The Print(making) Studio

The Print Studio is located on the south side of the ground floor of the Wits School of Arts building. The Print Studio is equipped with professional facilities for intaglio processes, relief printing, silkscreening and lithography. The Print Studio is open for senior students’ independent work and collaborative printing projects, in consultation with the academic staff and the Printmaking Technician. Short workshops are scheduled into the calendar when necessary. If you want to use the Print facilities, you will need to book a timeslot.

As in the workshop and photography sections, all of the equipment, tools and stock are Wits School of Arts assets. The Studio Manager / Printmaking Technician, Thabiso Kholobeng, has to ensure that these are used safely, correctly and respectfully at all times by students and fellow colleagues. Studio protocols should be observed with consideration to all who are using the studio. Limited usage of the print studio is available due to OHS procedures or when the technician is not around.

Use of Professional Facilities

Please remember to ...

• Monitor the correct use of the presses at all times

• Release the drum and press bed at the end of the day

• Avoid wastage of materials at all times

• Follow the standards and instructions set by the Printmaking

Technician / Studio Manager

• Ensure that hot plates are switched off at all times when not in use

• Switch off lights at the end of each day

• Maintain a clean studio space throughoutout the week, including the cleaning of rollers, brayer and surfaces

• Clean the sink at the end of every day

• Take care of inks and ensure that they are packed away at the end of the day

• Wear protective clothing / safety gear: students are not allowed to use the Acid Room and associated materials without protective clothing, mask, PVC apron and gloves

• Refrain from using C4 (liquid / paste) to clean silk screens

• Work with care

Thabiso Kholobeng, Printmaking Technician / Print Studio Manager thabiso.kholobeng@wits.ac.za | 011 717 4634

The Point of Order (TPO)

The Point of Order (TPO) is a public exhibition/project space run by the Department of Fine Arts, and is a dynamic and vital point of visibility for the Department’s art programs. The core of the Fine Arts exhibitions programme is managed from TPO and facilitated by the Exhibitions Coordinator, concurrent to the Department’s academic project. Located outside of university grounds, TPO allows for engagement with initiatives, exhibitions and projects produced within the Department in a publicly accessible exhibition space. The programme covers student and/or staff-led initiatives, and hosts shows, installations, events, screenings, book launches and exchanges with local and international individuals and institutions, with a focus on developing artists from the undergraduate and postgraduate programme as well as alumni. TPO is a pivotal space in the gallery/project space ecosystem of Johannesburg and allows for experimental and non-commercial work. It thus offers itself as a playground or laboratory, in which students and practitioners are free to work through and develop their understanding of professional art practice.

Objectives

• Provide an exhibition project space conducive to practice-led research, experimentation and the testing of creative ideas and concepts.

• Enable undergraduate and postgraduate students/artists to present ideas and work within an experimental lab/ studio context, geared towards peer group discussion and critical engagement with the Fine Arts staff body, through self-led discussions, crits and examinations.

• Allow students to use the space as an open or closed studio/ gallery, or testing ground, without the obligation to exhibit outcomes for the public.

• Maintain a dynamic exhibition project space for the public viewing of student work through exhibitions, openings, events, talks, screenings and other activations.

• Maintain a vital online platform and archive for the documentation of exhibitions and events hosted by TPO.

• Engage with and develop various curatorial strategies and critical thinking around artistic praxis. This may take the form of studentled conferences, panel discussions, talks and hybrid webinars.

• Collaborate with the Department of History of Art, WSOA, the Humanities and other teaching and learning programmes within the university.

• Support non-commercial exhibition-making methodologies, with a practice-centred rather than commercially oriented focus.

• While TPO is primarily aligned with departmental programming, the space is made available to external projects that speak to our curriculum and arts education.

Bookings can be made with the Exhibitions Coordinator and are subject to availability of space.

Exhibitions Coordinator

Reshma Chhiba | reshma.chhiba@wits.ac.za | 011 717 4737

Please note: All of these labs, equipment and facilities are under high demand at particular times of the year by undergraduates, as are the demands made on the technicians, so please avoid, if possible, making bookings nearing the mid-year and end-ofyear undergraduate exam periods (check with workshop and lab technicians on dates).

Postgraduate Computer Lab, Writing Spaces in the School, Student Opportunities

The Postgraduate Computer Lab is a dedicated space located on the ground floor of the WSOA building for both use of editing and writing needs. The Photography Technician will also assist you with arranging card access to this or the main computer lab as well (located opposite this).

There are also common spaces in WSOA, at the Wolmarans and EMB studios where screenings, happenings, social events can occur. Drama for Life, located on the topmost floor of University Corner also has a postgraduate writing space and welcomes students to work there. Besides the computer labs on the second floor WSoA resource centre, there are additional computer labs in the Humanities Graduate Centre in the South West Engineering Building as well.

The School facilities should be seen as shared resources and, especially at postgraduate level, student-led initiatives are important to your own growth and experience. We encourage self-organised exhibitions and initiation of reading and writing groups, film screenings, talks, etc.

There are also several partnerships with arts institutions on the African continent and internationally. We have run several exchange programs for postgraduate students with these institutions.

The Wits postgraduate programmes orients itself towards a decolonial approach, with a sense of the urgency for art practice to articulate new ways of thinking creative research that is postcolonial and Southoriented, speaking to our context but also to a global contemporary condition, both within the University and outside, and encourages postgraduates and undergraduates to interact across all years. To this end, the UG third and fourth year coordinators ask PG students to partake in UG crit sessions - please do involve yourself in these as it is beneficial for UG students to get feedback from their peers.

Security and Safety

The Wits School of Arts is committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of all staff, students, guests, contractors, service providers and visitors in its working environment. The School aims to provide an environment that is secure and conducive to achieving levels of academic and creative excellence. Students are required to share this responsibility.

Access to campus and various buildings in the WSOA complex is enabled with your student card and hand-wave. While security officers are stationed at the WSoA buildings, it is important that equipment, materials and personal possessions are safely stored when not in use.

The EMB-7 postgraduate studio space is access controlled and students are asked to maintain this by ensuring that doors remain closed at all times and being responsible for who is let into spaces. Studios at Wolmarans have 24-hour security guards, but, as the studios are a few streets down from the University and there are regular power cuts, there are specific protocols for emergencies in this space. Protocols are pinned up on the Wolmarans notice board. Please familiarise yourself with them (including panic buttons, emergency exits and landline for emergencies). Students working after-hours in any space are required to sign attendance registers located with the security in those buildings. No after-hours work is permitted during load-shedding.

Use of Material and Tools - Safety Precautions

The Department of Fine Arts endeavours to establish a healthy working environment, which encourages recycling, conservation (water, electricity, resources), awareness of hazardous and toxic materials/fumes, and preference for non-toxic ‘green’ material as an integral part of creative practice, and research. Students are asked to participate in the recycling of paper, discarding toxic material such as turpentine and acids in appropriate containers, and handling of hazardous material, tools, and machines with the necessary precaution. Students are required to inform themselves about the material they work with (paint, varnishes, solvents, sculpture materials, image processing chemicals etc.). They need to be aware of which materials are toxic and damaging to their health and environment, and how to safely store them. Each student must ensure for themselves the necessary safety precautions for working (protective gloves, goggles, dust mask, working in open air, working in a well-ventilated studio, switching on extractor fans, etc.). Chemical drums are available in the Darkroom, the Painting and Printmaking studios for the disposal of chemicals, turpentine, thinners and various oils. Plaster of Paris, paint, and clay must not be discarded via the drains and plumbing system. Resin and similarly toxic material should be used carefully and only in open areas (Sculpture Studio exterior).

• Students may not bring visitors to classes without prior permission by the course coordinator and Head of Department

• Be smart and know what you are working with and how to work with material and tools. Be mindful not to endanger yourself or others when working. Take responsibility for the appropriate and safe use of tools and material as part of your research and practice. Discuss and plan with your supervisor if any of the material you have been using can be re-used/recycled by other students once you leave

• Inform your supervisors, course coordinators or the studio manager of safety risks that you may encounter while working in the studios

Please note that due to health and safety concerns, some material and tools may not be available for use after-hours or outside the supervision hours of workshop technicians.

• Familiarise yourself with the location of fire extinguishers in the building, first aid kits and all emergency fire exits (please ensure during the course of the year that all passages and exits remain free for movement in the event of an emergency)

• Read the instructions for usage of materials and chemicals and familiarise yourselves with storage requirements and waste management

• Should you come across anything during the day or after hours that may be of OHS concern, please report it immediately to the guard on duty and to a member of staff.

• No students are allowed to sleep overnight in WSoA, particularly in the Fine Art workshop and lab spaces, as this presents a great health and safety risk

• Fine Arts students are not permitted to allow non-Fine Art students into workshop and lab spaces after working hours

WSOA Occupational Health and Safety

It is the policy of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, insofar as is reasonably practicable, to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act No 85 of 1993 (and its regulations), as well as allied OHS&E related legislation, standards, and requirements to which the University subscribes. The University is committed to providing and maintaining, as far as is reasonable practical, a healthy, safe and risk-free working and learning environment.

The Wits School of Arts is committed to undertaking our part in complying with the University OHS&E policies. On a very immediate level, this means being aware of how your practice may at times inadvertently harm people in and around the School and surrounding environment. Should you have any queries about whether your work does present a risk, please discuss this with your supervisor, course coordinator or the studio manager. In case of emergency, contact the Safety Officers in your area. In order to access studios, all students have to attend the compulsory OHS briefing and sign the OHS legal risk document.

http://intranet.wits.ac.za/gtd/healthsafety/Shared%20Documents/ OHSE_Pol_Pg1.pdf

Occupational Health and Safety Contacts (Fine Arts)

Reshma Chhiba | OHS&E Officer | First Aider – Level 1

The Point of Order (TPO) | 011 7174737

Daniel Gray | OHS&E Officer | First Aider - Level 1

Art House, UC7, Wolmarans | 0117174633

Thabiso Kholobeng | OHS&E Officer

WSOA Printmaking Studio, First Year Studio | 011 717 4634

Godfrey Mahlangu | OHS&E Officer | First Aider – Level 1

Art House, UC7, Wolmarans | 011 717 4633

Elias Nxumalo | Evacuation Co-ordinator

WSOA Reception | 011 717 4609 | speed dial 6194

Joshua Williams | OHS&E Officer

WSOA First Floor | 0117174654

Sharlene Khan | First Aider – Level 1, Evacuation Officer

WSOA 318 | 011 7174637

Under the South African Government Legislation and the Wits Policy on Smoking, smoking (of any kind) is not permitted in any public or workspace. As such, no smoking is permitted in the Wits School of Arts building (this includes the open courtyard) - please smoke at least 10 metres away from the building including any window.