Refiloe Namise, Segopotso sa Gomora. MAFA Exhibition Installation, 2022
1. With the ongoing call for us as Institutions of Higher Learning to re-imagine and re-position ourselves, the question that most, if not all institutions should be asking is “WHAT ARE WE DOING?”
WHAT are we doing?
• Developing the identity of a Pan-African University whose geographical location is central to affirming a position within the larger global South decolonial programme.
• Growing towards an Afrocentric curriculum that will include our own histories and carry a social justice agenda.
• We are physically located in Johannesburg, a contemporary African City that is also home to multiple Pan-African and global identities.
what ARE we doing?
• Expanding a field of art, where the role of an artist is questioned and contested, and at the same time, understood as being an embodied experience.
• Producing knowledge and cultural producers that are not limited to the University.
• Teaching through creative practices, and as a form of research.
what are WE doing?
• A group of specialized artists, thinkers, cultural workers, and researchers with experience in artistic practices across a variety of disciplines; ranging from traditional art mediums to the ephemeral.
• We offer a range of teaching methodologies; ways of thinking that allow students a series of conceptual tools and modes of expression.
• The specialisation of staff includes but is not limited to painting, photography, printmaking, performance, video, installation, sculpture, drawing, and curatorial practices.
• Linked to the WAM and broader Braamfontein area, with a network of galleries and project spaces, including our own: The Point of Order (TPO).
what are we DOING?
• Inhabiting theory as practice and practice as theory.
• Imagining ways of responding to and interpreting the world through creative practice.
• Accommodating a variety of positions, including the active role of students in decision making, planning, and curriculum design.
The manifesto is a living document, an ongoing questioning of our program, our practices, processes, thinking, ideas.
It is a document to be engaged on an ongoing basis by students and staff so that it is responsive to the needs and ambitions of the division in the historical, political and social contexts we find ourselves in.
2. Introduction
Welcome to the Department of Fine Arts at the Wits School of the Arts!
We hope that your postgraduate studies with us will be an exciting time of creative discovery, self-reflexivity and critical engagement in an interdisciplinary arts school.
The Department of Fine Art offers the following postgraduate programmes:
BA Arts Honours in the field of Fine Arts (BA Hons Fine Arts)
Masters of Arts in Fine Arts (MAFA)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Our postgraduate programmes are based on a practice-centred approach to research. Students will be exposed to exciting new models and thinking around practice-led research, research-led practice and artistic research. The Masters of Arts by Dissertation and PhD programmes are structured around a complementary approach between studio practice and creative/conventional research. The outcome of the degree is an original body of artistic work and a written component (dissertation/thesis), which is set to meet the requirements of the University and standards of academic rigour as expected in any Masters and Doctoral programme. It is, however, important to position the written and traditional research component of the degree within the specificities of our diverse practices as artists and cultural producers. Honours students not only have structured courses that they need to attend, they will also produce a long essay around a focused research question, which could engage their practice or more broad visual culture questions.
As the Department of Fine Art, we aim to position ourselves as a University that speaks from the Global or Near South, orienting ourselves both from, and towards, our context as South African and African. We understand the South as a complex arrangement of ideas and positions that derive from different locations, histories, flows and trajectories that form our contemporary. From here we position ourselves as a critical programme that speaks to this complexity.
Adrian Fortuin, The Readymade, Made Ready, moulded plastic and granite, WYAA19 winner, 2019
Artistic Research
The Hons, MAFA and PhD programmes work through, and experiment with, different models of artistic research, and we work from the positionality that practice is at the centre of the research process. Throughout the year, the programmes invite a range of creatives who are critical thinkers to run seminars, workshops and talks that will help students think through what it means to do ‘creative research’ or to research creatively: what does it mean to make a body of creative work as part of a focused research and assessment process, and what does it mean to have a studio as part of a discursive environment? Student-led sessions and peer reading-groups focus on the needs of particular postgrad groups. These sessions are mostly voluntary but are aimed to help you think critically and support you formulating your critical research question, which underpins your practice and your dissertation/thesis. Each student is allocated a supervisor(s) and, with the guidance of a supervisor(s), formulates an unique articulation of their practice and research. Here your independently-directed research, engagement with your peers and practitioners in the field, as well as writing and reading groups, are essential to formulating this position. You are expected to attend exhibitions within the School and the city, and keep abreast of developments in contemporary South African art, but also internationally. As this is a practice-led degree, open studios for Hons, MAFA and PhD students are an opportunity for fellow students and staff to view your ongoing practice/ideas and to critically engage and give feedback on your work. These are invaluable sessions and students are expected to participate in at least one per semester, with all new students presenting their research ideas within the first 3 months of registration.
We hope that this journey with us will be a personally and professionally rewarding one among staff and peers.
Please read this Postgraduate Handbook in conjunction with the Faculty of Humanities ‘Application to Graduation’ Document that is available on the PG Ulwazi modules.
Shanti Govender, States of being?, MAFA Exhibition Installation, 2019
3. Course Structure
3.1
Bachelor of Arts Honours in the field of Fine Art
The Bachelor of Arts Honours in the field of Fine Art is a one year fulltime or two years part-time degree.
Programme Code: AHA00 / Plan Code: AFAFIN40
NQF Level exit: 8 / NQF Credits: 122
The BA Hons in the field of Fine Art is made up of the following courses:
• Professional Practice in Fine Arts (FINA 4018A) (first semester)
• Critical Theories and Visual Cultures (FINA4019A) (first semester)
• Fine Arts IVA (FINA 4020A) (first semester)
• Fine Arts IVB (FINA 4021A) (second semester)
• Research Project (FINA4022A) (full year)
Students coming into the BA Hons in the field of Fine Art degree degree will have completed a three-year Fine Arts or equivalent programme or will have the necessary professional experience to be considered for admission through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
Critical Theories and Visual Cultures (FINA 4019A)
Semester One Aim
In Critical Theories & Visual Cultures (CTVC), 4th Year and Honours students are encouraged to engage with shifting temporal, sociopolitical and geographic drifts, tributaries and movements within expressive cultures, with a focus on South Africa, Africa and the African diaspora. The course is geared towards honing and deepening critical analytical, theoretical and reading skills; and these as oriented towards both the textual as well as a more expanded field of theoretical practice (as haptic and affective). Course participants are asked to think of theory and practice as entangled and mutually informing operations, as opposed to discrete intellectual/aesthetic pursuits.
In this course we collectively address and work through key questions of representation, exploring the possibilities of creative art practices from sites of rupture, disobedience, community, care and imagination.
CTVC provides an important entry point for those who wish to continue to the Masters programme. The standard expected of this course is equivalent to any 4th year of academic study. Participants will already have completed the FVPA course in First Year and subsequently two years of History of Art. CTVC builds on previous courses in Art History as well as research and reading undertaken during studio-based courses, deepening understanding of art theory, history and practice. Those entering the programme via RPL will be able to write, research and theorise at at least a third year equivalency level.
CTVC is a reading intensive course and requires independent studentdriven research. The course includes lectures, guest presentations, set readings, reading presentations and creative/written assignments. Details are available in the course outline, and both quarter courses
have dedicated readers which provide a useful resource for the 2nd Semester Research Project.
Assessment
CTVC is subject to a cumulative assessment throughout the first semester and is weighted as follows:
Quarter 1: 2*formative assessments 20%
1* summative assessment: 30%
Quarter 2: 1*formative assessment (10%)
1* summative assessment (40% - exam)
Outcomes
• develop analytical skills (visual and textual)
• develop capacity to structure an argument/analysis
• develop close-reading and comprehension skills
• develop research capacity and language skills (oral and written)
• develop skills to situate arguments/analysis within a relevant theoretical framework(s)
• encourage integration of studio practice(s) and formal academic work
• deepen knowledge of local, African, African diasporic and international art practices and theory
Format
Weekly Lectures
Guest Lectures
Weekly Set Readings
Reading Seminars
Assignments: written & creative
Professional Practice (FINA 4018A)
Semester One Aim
This course looks to further equip professionals with necessary skills for the visual arts industries, as well as providing academic support for those professionals who are upgrading their professional degree status through postgraduate study. As such, the course introduces students to relevant visual culture theories and aims to share knowledge on basic application writing, as well as writing funding proposals, residency and portfolio requirements for the creative arts sector. As many students who are part of this course are already professionals, peer knowledge sharing is considered an invaluable resource during these classes. The course will also look at the particularities of different types of art writing, from art history and art criticism so as to develop a critical dialogue around notions of ‘aesthetics’. The course actively offers support towards postgraduate writing and thinking.
Honours Research Paper (FINA4022A)
Full year course Aim
The Research Project is an Honours level course applicable to all 4th year and Honours Fine Art students at WSOA. The Research Project (6000–7000-word essay or creative submission) constitutes the primary outcome of the course. Consequently, all course assessments are geared towards preparing students for this final submission.
Each course participant is assigned a supervisor in the 2nd Quarter, with whom they are encouraged to work closely, as they develop their research question(s), abstract, keywords and literature review.
The material dealt with in CTVC (Quarters 1 & 2) is intended to provide a robust theoretical foundation for the Research Project. Students are nonetheless encouraged to continually expand and grow their literature review. This may include academic discourse, as well as other cultural and affective forms drawn from independent research, supervisor input, or other courses such as Professional Practice.
Assessment
The Research Project is subject to cumulative assessment running over Quarters 2 - 3, and is weighted as follows:
• develop capacity to structure an argument/analysis
• develop close-reading and comprehension skills
• develop research capacity and language skills (oral and written)
• develop skills to situate arguments/analysis within a relevant theoretical framework(s)
• encourage integration of studio practice(s) and formal academic work
• deepen knowledge of local, African, African diasporic and international art practices and theory
Format
Lectures and Reading Seminars: on campus Assignments: written & creative
FINA 4020A/4021A – Fine Arts
Honours Fine Art is a year of independent creative research. Over the course of a semester, you will develop a body of work and take this work to a moment of exhibition. This process develops the creative practice, and critical skills accumulated over the course of your work and practice. You are required to build on and extend the trajectories already initiated in deepening your work.
The outcome of the Honours year is to produce a body of work that embodies the complex and multiple ideas, skills, forms and experiences that you have honed over the years. This body of work, and experience will form a vital part of your portfolio, and is one that you will draw on in the years to come, sometimes directly, but always indirectly as a resource of knowledge and an archive of experience.
Each of you will be allocated an individual supervisor for the year and in discussion with your supervisor, is to delineate a course of creative research objectives to pursue. Thorough preparation for supervisory consultations is very important. Make sure you have work in progress to show your supervisor, and can demonstrate research, ideation and thought progression. You should focus your practice in terms of questions of medium, conceptual / aesthetic concerns and location within, or relationships to, existing and historical artistic practices. This requires an active engagement and in-depth knowledge of the field in which you choose to situate yourself. This active engagement is an important part of articulating a creative research area and developing a critical awareness of that history of artistic practice, as well as situating your work in a social, cultural and political context. It is also vital not to lose sight of the process driven nature of artistic practice and studio work.
The year will move fast, and you will have numerous constraints on your time as well as other resources. The challenge is to understand that impediments to your creative practice are often unavoidbale, and this is a moment to understand better (for yourselves) how to design and structure your practice so that it can adjust, shift and accommodate these challenges. Assessments will be made up of a studio review in each term and an examination at the end of the semester.
Ethics clearance
Ethics clearance is required for your specific Hons project. For fulltime students, ethics covers both your practical work and Hons long essay (so your research as a whole) and should be submitted in May or June at the latest to the WSoA School Ethics Committee. Use the proposal you developed in CTVC and work with your supervisor towards this submission.
For part-time students, you will apply for ethics clearance in the second year of your degree for your Hons long essay and should be submitted in May or June (at the latest) of your second year of study to the WSoA School Ethics Committee. Use the proposal you developed in CTVC and work with your supervisor towards this submission.
See the section on Research Ethics Clearance and Training (and the PG Ulwazi courses) for more information.
Open Studios
BA Hons in the field of Fine Art students occupy the space between both undergraduate and postgraduate studies – so while you will be doing the same practical and theoretical classes with the fourth-year students and engage in the crit and assessments with Fine Arts IV students, you will also participate in the postgraduate open studio sessions. As such, even though you will be engaged in the same crit and assessment sessions with Fine Arts IV students, you should also present your practical as part of the postgraduate open studio sessions. Open studios are an opportunity each term for postgraduate students to present their ongoing creative ideas/work to their peers, supervisor(s), staffing body and other invited guests (these sessions are not marked for assessment). Students book slots for the open studios with the postgraduate coordinator (Sharlene Khan) in advance and each student is allocated up to an hour to present work. Such sessions are crucial to artistic development and should be welcomed both in terms of getting and giving critical feedback.
Postgraduate forms, information and previous seminars / workskhops / talks / conferences are archived on the following Ulwazi sites on which you have to self-enrol:
- Fine Art PG courses site:
HMN-WSoA-Fine Art PG-2024
*Departmental course for all Hons, MAFA and PhD students (includes all pg info/forms, seminars/workshops/open studio notification and archive) – students to self-enrol on this module using the following link: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/9K743E
- WSOA Postgrad Ulwazi Module
WSOA-POSTGRAD-2024
*Wits School of Arts course for all Hons, MAFA and PhD students (includes all pg info/forms, seminars/workshops) – students to selfenrol on this module using the following link: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/BC7AYC
Timeline
One Year BA Hons (Full Time)
If you are planning to finish your BA (Hons) in one-year full-time registration, then you will register and participate as follows:
First Semester:
• Professional Practice in Fine Arts (FINA 4018A)
• Critical Theories and Visual Cultures (FINA4019A)
• Fine Arts IVA (FINA 4020A)
• PG Seminars and Workshop Series
Second Semester:
• Fine Arts IVB (FINA 4021A)
• Open Studios
Full Year:
• Research Project (FINA4022A)
• Open Studios
Two Year BA Hons (Part Time)
If you are planning to finish your BA (Hons) over two-years part-time registration, then you will do the following:
Year One:
First Semester:
• Critical Theories and Visual Culture (FINA4019A)
• Fine Arts IVA (FINA 4020A)
• Open Studios
• PG Seminars and Workshop Series
Second Semester:
• Fine Arts IVB (FINA 4021A)
• Open Studios
Year Two:
First Semester:
• Professional Practice in Fine Arts (4018A)
• PG Seminars and Workshop Series
Full Year:
• Research Project (FINA4022A)
• Open Studios
3.2 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
NQF Level: 8
Level: 500
Semester: One and two
Prerequisites: A BAFA degree or equivalent by permission of Head of School
Coordinator: Prof David Andrew
david.andrew@wits.ac.za
Tel. 011 717 4636
Room 320, 3rd Floor, WSOA
Courses
• Visual Arts - Methodology (FINA 5019A)
• Visual Arts - Teaching Experience (FINA 5020A)
• Learning Area Studies: Arts and Culture (EDUC 5093A)
• Learning Area Teaching Experience: Arts and Culture
(EDUC 5011A)
Contact Periods
There are two sessions per week of two hours duration for the Visual Arts Methodology course. Students meet twice a week for the Learning Area Studies: Arts and Culture course (two hours for each session). The Teaching Experience course takes place for one week in the first quarter, three weeks in the second quarter and six weeks in the third quarter.
Reshma Chhiba in collaboration with Shanti Govender, States of being?, MAFA Exhibition Installation, 2019
Outcome of Course
This Art Education course, incorporating FINA5019 (Visual Arts Methodology), EDUC5093 (Learning Area Studies: Arts and Culture), FINA5020 and EDUC5011 (Teaching Experience), will enable the student to demonstrate conceptual and creative practical and art historical teaching skills, knowledge and values in a range of different art/s education situations. The course aims to enable teachers to act as critical agents for Arts and Culture education in various teaching and learning situations, including the public sphere.
Students will demonstrate the ability to teach and learn as critically reflective practitioners while working in increasingly creative and innovative ways. The course seeks to extend the participant’s subject knowledge base and range of pedagogical strategies for teaching and learning.
Course Format
The first two quarters will concentrate on establishing the necessary platform upon which each artist-educator will be required to position themselves with respect to their role in art/s education. This part of the course will involve interactive sessions within the Department of Visual Arts (DIVA) at the Wits School of Arts and Wits School of Education, and with other institutions and individuals. While drawing on a great deal of international literature, the primary focus of the course will be to locate us within a Southern African context. To this end, students will be required to engage in primary research and materials development and to engage critically with recent National and Provincial Department policy decisions.
The nature of the lectures during the course will model, as far as possible, the interactive and experiential approaches recommended for the teaching Arts and Culture and the subject, Visual Art.
At all times during the course there will be an emphasis on theory informing, and being embedded, in practice.
This will be promoted as a teaching and learning methodology in which the reciprocity of “making” and “reading” is foregrounded. The course aims to develop art/s educators capable of contributing to and leading a radically transformed art/s education practice that challenges current orthodoxies and reconceptualises what art/s education might become in the twenty-first century.
The outline refers generally to Visual Arts Education. This should be seen in the context of a broader, integrated Arts and Culture Education approach.
Students will be placed in positions where they are able to test that which they have explored in “lecture-type” situations by establishing ties with the Wits Art Museum, the Origins Centre, Johannesburg Art Gallery, other galleries, and school and non-governmental organisations, such as the FUNDA Community College.
The FINA5019 course is complemented and informed by the EDUC5093 (Learning Area Studies: Arts and Culture) and the two teaching experience courses FINA5020 and EDUC5101. You will receive a detailed course outline for the Arts and Culture Methodology course during week one of the academic year. Students are encouraged to use material covered in their other Methodology and Education courses to support their Art Education studies.
Satisfactory Performance Requirements
Students are required to attend 80% of the timetabled sessions in the first, second and fourth quarters. During the Teaching Experience courses you are required to be present for the entire teaching programme in your designated school/s (100%). Students who are absent will be excused if they produce a doctor’s certificate. Similarly, students who fail to hand in written assignments on time, or who request extensions must produce a doctor’s certificate or an equivalent.
Expectations
Records of student attendance at timetabled sessions will be kept. The course will be examined on the assumption that students have been attending lectures regularly.
Reading matter is made available for each area of the course. The onus is on students to read all material, and the course will be assessed on the assumption that students have engaged with the literature.
Students will be expected to be familiar with the material presented in lectures and workshops and to be able to discuss issues that have been raised. You will be expected to have both a specific and a broad knowledge of the material covered in the course and to be able to apply theoretical frameworks to a discussion of that material.
Students will be required to do particular readings for some discussion groups, and to be able to enter debate on these readings and on issues raised in the lectures and workshops within the discussion groups.
Students are expected to arrive on time for classes.
The expectations for written work are the same as for the fourth year Critical Theories and Visual Cultures course. Please consult this section of the course guide for referencing requirements.
Please be aware that any form of plagiarism will not be tolerated. Where plagiarism is suspected, the case will be referred to the Wits School of Arts Plagiarism committee. If you are unsure as to what constitutes plagiarism, please consult your lecturer at the beginning of the course.
You will be required to sign a covering document accompanying each of your assignments that states that the work being submitted is your own and is free of any plagiarised material.
Assessment and Assignments
The following serves as a guideline to the Art Methodology assignments for the year:
• An essay paper in the first and second terms chosen from topics provided
Deadline: Last Wednesday of each quarter.
Length of paper: 3000 words, typed (2 x 50=100)
• A major research paper submitted in mid-October.
Length of paper: 5000 words, typed (300)
• A learning programme (grades 10-12)
submitted early in October (100)
• A portfolio/reflective journal demonstrating your growth as an arts educator through the course (Deadline: to be announced) (100)
• Two major materials development projects
Deadlines: late March and mid-June,
one project in each of the first two quarters (2 x 50=100)
• A project that is part of one of the community-based or public art programmes in Johannesburg (100)
• A range of shorter exercises (4 x 25=100)
• A teaching experience file
Deadline: on completion of Teaching Experience in the third quarter (50)
The above constitutes a coursework mark of 50%. Your final exam equivalent, which you will receive in February, will make up the other 50% of your Visual Art Methodology mark.
You will receive a separate breakdown for the Learning Area Methodology: Arts and Culture course. Similarly, the assessment of the Teaching Experience courses will be discussed with you at the beginning of the PGCE course.
Course Outline
A detailed course outline will be given to you at the start of the Semester.
Venue
The Visual Arts Methodology lectures will take place at a time and venue as agreed upon between staff and students. The venue for these lectures will be in either the Fine Arts Teaching Room, third floor, Wits School of Arts Building or in Room B7, Bohlaleng Block, WSOE campus (first, second and fourth quarters).
Lee Jardine in collaboration with Shanti Govender, States of being? MAFA Exhibition Installation, 2019
3.3
Masters of Arts in Fine Arts
Programme Code: ARA09 / Plan Code: APRAFIA60
NQF Level: 9 / NQF Credits: 180
Courses: FINA8003A
The Masters of Arts in Fine Arts by Dissertation/Research is a practicebased creative programme in which you will be required to produce both a body of creative work and a dissertation. It is a year-long degree full-time and two years part-time.
During the course of the MAFA there are four outputs as part of your studies:
• A research proposal (2000-3000 words) presented with your practice-in-progress after 6 months full-time and 12 months parttime registration (see MAFA research proposal process below).
• Ethics clearance for your specific project is required for all MAFA research. This should be submitted as soon as the proposal is submitted to Faculty, working with your supervisor. It is submitted via the online HREC portal the University HREC Committee. Ethics covers both your practical and written work - so your research as a whole. See the section on Research Ethics Clearance and Training (and the PG Ulwazi courses) for more information.
• A body of creative work: The creative work can be staged as one final exam presentation or as a series of iterations and inquiries across the degree that are documented and presented for final assessment. There needs to be originality of creative expression and sustained critical inquiry, in relation to the written component. The creative work is presented at the public proposal presentation and as part of a ‘final’ assessment.
• A written dissertation (20 000-25 000 words): We are open to experimentation with forms of the written research, as long as this meets the academic requirements of the Masters degree. The final assessment of the degree is based on the integrity of the body of creative work and the dissertation as a sustained focused research inquiry and is examined by examiners internal and external to Wits.
NOTE: Within the first 3 months of registration, all candidates will be required by the Department to present their research topic and initial creative investigations to their peers and staff through the open studio process so that they are given feedback on their developing ideas.
Candidates are also required by Faculty to present their proposals to the staff and student body to solicit feedback on their ideas in a public presentation - it is part of the Department’s process that the proposal reader be present to give verbal feedback on the proposal presentation, which should be taken into account by the candidate before final submission of the proposal is made by the candidate to Faculty, which sends the proposal officially to the proposal readers.
We emphasize that the MAFA experience, however, should not just focus on the final exhibition and dissertation produced at the end of the degree but, instead, there should be a consistent commitment to making, research, writing and reading as process, producing iterative outcomes for both research and practice over the course of the oneor two-year degree.
Regular meetings and submissions to supervisors are important steps in the degree. Open studios are organised in each term over two days for students to engage peers and staff in critical feedback. Even if a student is not producing traditional studio-based work there should be some sense of development and regular showing of work-in-progress within open studios to peers and supervisors.
MAFA Research Proposal Options
The Faculty Graduate Studies Committee or a panel, formally appointed by the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee, must consider the recommendations regarding worthiness of Masters of Arts by Fine Arts candidate of the School, after an initial period of registration (6 months full-time or 12 months part-time) in order to decide whether to allow their registration to continue. A candidate is required to submit their research documents, from this initial registration period, demonstrating a focused and well researched topic that is elucidated in both practice and written form. For the proposal process, candidates can choose from three proposal options.
Option 1 (Ongoing draft of chapter and practice-in-progress)
• Present a body of practical work that embodies/speaks to/elucidates the trajectory of their research – this may be presented in physical form or in documentation;
• Present one draft chapter of the dissertation (approximately 20003000 words). This chapter can be written as historical, content, textual or visual analysis or a creative / performative response to your practice (and research focus) but must amply demonstrate the manner in which literature reviews are incorporated into writing in our field, while attending to the following: title of research; identifying a focused research question; stating the aims and rationale of the research; problems and gaps identified that the research is responding to; research methods employed (this includes creative research); ethical considerations of the research;
• A comprehensive bibliography of sources identified on the research area;
• An abstract of no more than 250 words, including 5-6 keywords
• Chapter outlines: Summary of what each chapter in the dissertation will cover (approximately 250 words for each chapter).
*If a student chooses Option 1 and Option 2 (draft chapter or experimental chapter), then the two-page document the student hands, in addition to the above 2000-3000 chapter – detailing the title of research, identifying a focused research question, stating the aims/rationale of the research, problems and gaps identified that the research is responding to, research methods employed and ethics consideration – is submitted as part of their individual ethics application via the University Ethics system.
Option 2 (Experimental chapter and practice-in-progress)
• Present a body of practical work that embodies / speaks to / elucidates the trajectory of their research - this may be presented in physical form or in documentation;
• Present an experimental draft of one chapter or piece of writing that exemplifies the writing style of the dissertation (approximately 20003000 words);
• Present a two-page document detailing the following clearly: title of research; state the focused research question; the aims and rationale of the research; problems and gaps identified that the research is responding to; research methods employed (this includes creative research); ethical considerations of the research;
• A comprehensive bibliography of sources identified on the research area;
• An abstract of no more than 250 words, including 5-6 keywords;
• Chapter outlines: Summary of what each chapter in the dissertation will cover (approximately 250 words for each chapter).
*If a student chooses Option 1 and Option 2 (draft chapter or experimental chapter), then the two-page document the student hands, in addition to the above 2000-3000 chapter – detailing the title of research, identifying a focused research question, stating the aims/rationale of the research, problems and gaps identified that the research is responding to, research methods employed and ethics consideration – is submitted as part of their individual ethics application via the University Ethics system.
Option 3 (traditional proposal and practice-in-progress)
• Present a body of practical work that embodies / speaks to / elucidates the trajectory of their research - this may be presented in physical form or in documentation;
• Present a traditional research proposal (approximately 2000-3000 words), which outlines the research question, gaps in research identified, literature review, research methods employed and ethical considerations. Research Question/Problem: Should have a central focused question, with sub-question. Literature Review (‘literature’ here is defined broadly as a different format texts including visual, audio, etc.): Complex, rich literature review that is in dialogue and supports the student’s questioning. Students should show an understanding of the epistemological roots of the material under examination, engaging consciously with the foundational knowledge in their discipline or interdisciplinary field. The major theories employed should be drawn from primary texts, rather than a reliance on just secondary sources. Research Methods: students should show an understanding of the history and development of their chosen methods and their application. Theoretical Orientation and Framework: Proposals should contain a theoretical framework and state its theoretical orientation. Data and ethical considerations need to align with your theoretical framework.
• A comprehensive bibliography of sources identified on the research area;
• An abstract of no more than 250 words, including 5-6 keywords;
• Chapter outlines: Summary of what each chapter in the dissertation will cover (approximately 250 words for each chapter).
Department of Fine Arts Internal Research Proposal Workflow
Signing Oversight and Research Proposals
Please note that the PG administrators nor the SAM has academic oversight and, therefore, cannot sign off on academic forms. As such, forms need to be signed off by the Departmental PG coordinator, Prof Sharlene Khan (if necessary), who acts as academic oversight within the Dept (if not available then HoD will have to sign), then forms are signed by the School PG Chair (Dr Myer Taub), and if Prof Taub is not available, then either by the Deputy HoS Tanja Sakota or by the HoS Prof Rene Smith).
It is, thereafter, sent by the supervisor or student to Faculty Officer Mpho Ntseare (Mpho.Ntseare@wits.ac.za), with a cc. to the Dept PG coordinator Prof Sharlene Khan (Sharlene.khan@wits.ac.za)
Internal proposal reading system
A date for the public presentation of the proposal needs to be decided on, with the reader being available for this date to see the prac work and have read (already) the proposal submitted – the supervisor to set up the date, communicate with proposal reader(s). One reader is appointed for MAFA.
The student will send a copy of their proposal to the supervisor TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE OF PROPOSAL PRESENTATION. The supervisor will send the proposal to the reader(s) and to the Dept PG coordinator to circulate to all staff and students.
The supervisor will run the proposal session. Student to present with prac work and concepts/argumentation of research proposal for 20-30 minutes maximum. Thereafter, the proposal reader(s) give feedback to the student for about 15/20 minutes, and the remainder of the time, other colleagues and peers give feedback.
Within FIVE DAYS of the presentation, the proposal readers submit at least a one page report on the proposal presentation (this should address written dissertation and practice). The report should outline what must be changed for the proposal phase and what are considerations for the larger project. The report should also say if the proposal is accepted as is, accepted with corrections or rejected and has to be resubmitted. If no report is sent through in the five days, the Dept PG coordinator, Prof Sharlene Khan, or the HoD(s) to contact proposal reader(s).
Students whose proposals have been ‘accepted’ or ‘accepted with corrections’ to finalise proposal based on the verbal and written feedback. Where there is a reject, students will have to resend proposal to proposal reader(s).
Supervisor writes a short letter confirming that proposal feedback has been incorporated into the proposal to their satisfaction.
The proposal is now ready to be submitted to Faculty and for the decision to be coded. The supervisor should send in the following:
• Copy of the finalised research proposal, incorporating reader feedback, with Turnitin report attached.
• Statement of principals form is attached and is signed by both student and supervisor.
• The reader’s report has to be attached – this should be at least one page in length giving a summary of the project, feedback to the student on their project conceptualization and framing, any corrections needed, relevant creative, literary, field sources they can/should be referencing. Proposal report should make clear what needs to be attended to in the proposal and what is feedback for the larger project.
• Research proposal submission form filled in by student and supervisor. Details filled in should include ticking the MA by Research option, filling in the abstract, date of seminar (Faculty requirement); proposal reader to fill in and sign (the reader has to circle that the corrections has been accepted); the form is checked and signed by the Dept PG coordinator (on page 4 under ‘signature of chairperson’ and NOT on page 3 on the ‘signature of the School Graduate Coordinator’ – this part has to be signed by the School PG Chair; tick both boxes at end of the form ‘yes’ (using internal system and reader’s report is attached). Once the above is done, this form, with the proposal is sent to the School PG Chair to sign and send back to the supervisor.
• A short letter by the supervisor stating that the corrections/ amendments advised by the reader have been attended to.
All the abov are now sent to Faculty Officer Mpho Ntseare by either the supervisor or student with a cc to the Dept PG coordinator (Prof Sharlene Khan). Queries around proposals can thereafter be followed up with Mpho. The Faculty records the decision signed by the proposal reader on the form and sends the letter of outcome. The proposal process is now concluded. Once the proposal has been submitted to Mpho, the student should immediately apply for ethics clearance to the HREC committee.
PG Forms can be located here: https://www.wits.ac.za/humanities/faculty-services/postgraduateservices/
Timeline of submission of proposal
Students who fail to meet the 6-month full-time or 12-month part-time deadline for extenuating circumstances, may request an extension of 2 months to complete their proposal, failing which, the Department will recommend de-registration from the programme.
Reading Groups and Writing Circles
The postgraduate community have developed their own peer-led reading groups. Students are encouraged to continue attending and forming their own focused reading groups to attend to their research needs, including that of writing where necessary. The Wits Writing Centre runs writing circles, which postgraduate students can attend, as an individual or as a writing group. Please contact the Writing Centre should you be interested.
Timeline
One Year MAFA (Full Time)
If you are planning to finish your MAFA in one-year full-time registration, then consider the following schedule:
Seminars and Workshops
Attend first term PG seminars and workshops and use opportunities to present your proposal ideas, chapter plans, abstracts, etc. Look over the year’s seminar and group programme, paying particular attention to methodology and academic writing workshops that you feel may be helpful to your research interest and choose to attend those, as well as reading and writing groups within and outside the Department that can assist and support you throughout the year and commit to those on a regular basis. Recorded presentations from past years can be found under the PG seminars’ archive on Ulwazi under the following PG courses (one must self-enrol on these sites):
HMN-WSoA-Fine Art PG-2024
https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/9K743E
WSOA-POSTGRAD-2024
https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/BC7AYC
Research Proposal and Open Studios
Aim to submit your research proposal within 3 months of your registration. This is done in consultation with your supervisor(s). You will be required to present your research ideas in a public presentation to staff, students and the proposal reader(s) to receive feedback and, thereafter, you will be able to submit your written proposal to Faculty, which is then passed officially to your proposal reader. As part of this presentation, you should also have shown your practice-in-progress and received feedback from peers, staff and your proposal reader(s). After the research proposal has been accepted (usually within a month of being submitted), the student is given formal notification to continue with the degree by Faculty – you would have continued working on practice and written research while awaiting the proposal reader’s feedback and will incorporate such feedback going forward.
Open studios are an opportunity each term for students to present their ongoing creative ideas/work to their peers, supervisor, staffing body and other invited guests. Students book with the postgraduate coordinator in advance and each student is allocated up to an hour to present work to their peer and staff body for critical engagement. Students can also use this opportunity to present their MAFA proposals.
Final Exhibition and Dissertation
It is encouraged that the final exhibition take place before the dissertation submitted, so that work can be reflected on in the writing. Alternatively, the exhibition can take place after the hand-in of the written paper, but preferably not more than 1-3 month later. Aim to hand in the dissertation around November/December of the year of registration. At the end of the year (December), you and your supervisor will be sent a report directly by Faculty to fill on your progress, noting any difficulties you’ve had thus far - it is important to fill this form out honestly.
The dissertation should be handed in by no later than 15 February / 15 March of the following year or you might liable for fees.
Change of Supervisor and Submission without Supervisor’s Consent
While it is not advisable for students to submit without their supervisor’s consent, sometimes relations between a supervisor and student may break down. While, in the first instance, the Departmental postgraduate coordinator should be approached well in advance to intervene where possible in assisting both supervisor and student (or alternatively where this is not ideal the Head of the Fine Art Department can be approached), where there is an irrevocable breakdown in a relationship, a change of supervisor can be requested. Where this happens close to submission for examination and there is contestation over the submission for examination itself, students who intend to submit without their supervisor’s consent are required by the Faculty to submit a motivation THREE MONTHS prior to submission date to the Senior Faculty officer Phillimon Mnisi (Phillimon.Mnisi@wits.ac.za).
Two Years MAFA (Part-time)
If you are planning to finish your MAFA in two years part-time registration, then consider the following schedule:
Year 1:
Seminars and Workshops
Attend PG seminars and workshops and use opportunities to present your proposal ideas, chapter plans, abstracts, etc. Look over the year’s seminar and workshop programme and attend as many methodology and academic writing workshops that you feel may be helpful to your research, as well as reading and writing groups within and outside the Department that can assist and support you throughout the year and commit to those on a regular basis. Recorded presentations from past years can be found under the PG seminars’ archive on Ulwazi under the following PG courses (one must self-enrol on these sites):
HMN-WSoA-Fine Art PG-2024:
https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/9K743E
WSOA-POSTGRAD-2024:
https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/BC7AYC
Research Proposal and Open Studios
Aim to submit your research proposal within 6-9 months of your registration (although, as a part-time student you have up to 12 months to do so of your registration). The proposal is done in consultation with your supervisor(s). You will be required to present your research ideas in a public presentation to staff, students and proposal reader to receive feedback and, thereafter, you will be able to submit your written proposal to Faculty, which is then passed to your proposal reader. As part of this presentation, you should also have shown your practice-in-progress and received feedback from peers, staff and your proposal reader. After the research proposal has been accepted (usually within a month of being submitted), the student is given formal notification to continue with the degree by Faculty – you would have continued working on practice and written research while awaiting the the proposal reader’s feedback and will incorporate such feedback going forward.
Open studios are an opportunity each term for students to present their ongoing creative ideas/work to their peers, supervisor, staffing body and other invited guests. Students book with the postgraduate coordinator in advance and each student is allocated up to an hour to present work to their peer and staff body for critical engagement. Students can also use this opportunity to present their MAFA proposals.
Year 2:
Final Exhibition and Dissertation
The second year of the MA is a self-directed year in which students focus on producing a body of work and writing their dissertation. It is encouraged that the final exhibition take place before the dissertation submitted, so that work can be reflected on in the writing. Alternatively, the exhibition can take place after the hand-in of the dissertation, but preferably not more than 1-3 months later. Aim to hand in the dissertation around November/December of the year of registration. At the end of the year (December), you and your supervisor will be sent a MA report directly by Faculty to fill on your progress, noting any difficulties you’ve had thus far – it is important to fill this form out honestly. The dissertation should be handed in by no later than 15 February of the following year or you may be liable for fees.
Besides your course-specific Ulwazi sites which has PG info related to your course, postgraduate forms, information and previous seminars / workskhops / talks / conferences are archived on the following Ulwazi sites on which you have to self-enrol:
- Fine Art PG courses site
HMN-WSoA-Fine Art PG-2024
*Departmental course for all Hons, MAFA and PhD students (includes all pg info/forms, seminars/workshops/open studio notification and archive) – students to self-enrol on this module using the following link: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/9K743E
- WSOA Postgrad Ulwazi Module
WSOA-POSTGRAD-2024
*Wits School of Arts course for all Hons, MAFA and PhD students (includes all pg info/forms, seminars/workshops) – students to selfhttps://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/BC7AYC
The Department has an Fine Arts Events & Announcement page that lists various internal/external opportunities. To see these, please self-enrol on the following link: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/KNHEYP
The University also has a helpful Ulwazi module that introduces you to the University setting, research and how to use digital platforms. You will see this module preloaded on your Ulwazi profile. HYLO details here: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/courses/102
Wits University Libguides offers a portal to assist researchers/ postgraduate students in the research process. You will find information on the whole research process, publishing and other related topics. Scholarly Research and Related Resources: Intro & Definitions: https://libguides.wits.ac.za/Scholarly_Research_Resources
3.4 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Programme Code: ADA02 / Plan Code: AFA80FINA
NQF Level exit: 10 / NQF Credits: 360
Course: FINA9001A
During the course of the PhD there are four outputs as part of your studies:
• A research proposal (4000-5000 words) presented with your practice-in-progress after 6 months full-time and 12 months part-time registration (see research proposal process below), with feedback given by two proposal readers.
• Ethics clearance for your specific project is required for all PhD research. This should be submitted as soon as the proposal is submitted to Faculty, working with your supervisor. It is submitted via the online HREC portal the University HREC Committee. Ethics covers both your practical and written work - so your research as a whole. See the section on Research Ethics Clearance and Training (and the PG Ulwazi courses) for more information.
• A body of creative work: TThe creative work can be staged as one final exam presentation or as a series of iterations and inquiries across the degree that are documented and presented for final assessment. There needs to be originality of creative expression and sustained critical inquiry, in relation to the written component. The creative work is presented at the public proposal presentation and as part of a ‘final’ assessment.
• A written thesis (30 000-40 000 words): We are open to experimentation with forms of the written research, as long as this meets the academic requirements of the PhD degree. The final assessment of the degree is based on the integrity of the body of creative work and the thesis as a sustained focused research inquiry and is examined by three examiners (1 internal to Wits, one external to Wits and one international examiner).
NOTE: Within the first 3 months of registration, all candidates will be required by the Department to present their research topic and initial creative investigations to their peers and staff through the open studio process so that they are given feedback on their developing ideas.
Candidates are also required by Faculty to present their proposals to the staff and student body to solicit feedback on their ideas in a public presentation – it is part of the Department’s process that the proposal reader be present to give verbal feedback on the proposal presentation, which should be taken into account by the candidate before final submission of the proposal is made by the candidate to Faculty, which sends the proposal officially to the proposal readers.
We emphasize that the PhD experience, however, should not just focus on the final exhibition and dissertation produced at the end of the degree but, instead, there should be a consistent commitment to making, research, writing and reading as process, producing iterative outcomes for both research and practice over the course of the degree.
Regular meetings and submissions to supervisors are important steps in the degree. Open studios are organised in each term over two days for students to engage peers and staff in critical feedback. Even if a student is not producing traditional studio-based work there should be some sense of development and regular showing of work-in-progress within open studios to peers and supervisors.
PhD Research Proposal Options
The Faculty Graduate Studies Committee or a panel, formally appointed by the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee, must consider the recommendations regarding worthiness of PhD candidates of the School, after an initial period of registration (6 months full-time or 12 months part-time) in order to decide whether to allow their registration to continue. A candidate is required to submit their research documents, from this initial registration period, demonstrating a focused and well researched topic that is elucidated in both practice and written form.
For the proposal process, candidates can choose from three proposal options:
Option 1 (Ongoing draft of chapter and practice-in-progress):
• Present a body of practical work that embodies / speaks to / elucidates the trajectory of their research – this may be presented in physical form or in documentation;
• Present one draft chapter of the dissertation (approximately 40005000 words). This chapter can be written as historical, content, textual or visual analysis or a creative / performative response to your practice (and research focus) but must amply demonstrate the manner in which literature reviews are incorporated into writing in our field, while attending to the following: title of research; identifying a focused research question; stating the aims and rationale of the research; problems and gaps identified that the research is responding to; research methods employed (this includes creative research); ethical considerations of the research;
• A comprehensive bibliography of sources identified on the research area;
• An abstract of no more than 250 words, including 5-6 keywords
• Chapter outlines: Summary of what each chapter in the dissertation will cover (approximately 250 words for each chapter).
*If a student chooses Option 1 and Option 2 (draft chapter or experimental chapter), then the two-page document the student hands, in addition to the above 4000-5000 chapter - detailing the title of research, identifying a focused research question, stating the aims/rationale of the research, problems and gaps identified that the research is responding to, research methods employed and ethics consideration - is submitted as part of their individual ethics application via the University Ethics system.
Option 2 (Experimental chapter and practice-in-progress):
• Present a body of practical work that embodies / speaks to / elucidates the trajectory of their research - this may be presented in physical form or in documentation;
• Present an experimental draft of one chapter or piece of writing that exemplifies the writing style of the dissertation (approximately 40005000 words);
• Present a two-page document detailing the following clearly: title of research; state the focused research question; the aims and rationale of the research; problems and gaps identified that the research is responding to; research methods employed (this includes creative research); ethical considerations of the research;
• A comprehensive bibliography of sources identified on the research area;
• An abstract of no more than 250 words, including 5-6 keywords;
• Chapter outlines: Summary of what each chapter in the dissertation will cover (approximately 250 words for each chapter).
*If a student chooses Option 1 and Option 2 (draft chapter or experimental chapter), then the two-page document the student hands, in addition to the above 4000-5000 chapter - detailing the title of research, identifying a focused research question, stating the aims/rationale of the research, problems and gaps identified that the research is responding to, research methods employed and ethics consideration - is submitted as part of their individual ethics application via the University Ethics system.
Option 3 (Traditional proposal and practice-in-progress):
• Present a body of practical work that embodies / speaks to / elucidates the trajectory of their research - this may be presented in physical form or in documentation;
• Present a traditional research proposal (approximately 40005000 words), which outlines the research question, gaps in research identified, literature review, research methods employed and ethical considerations. Research Question/Problem: Should have a central focused question, with sub-question. Literature Review (‘literature’ here is defined broadly as a different format texts including visual, audio, etc.): Complex, rich literature review that is in dialogue and supports the student’s questioning. Students should show an understanding of the epistemological roots of the material under examination, engaging consciously with the foundational knowledge in their discipline or interdisciplinary field. The major theories employed should be drawn from primary texts, rather than a reliance on just secondary sources. Research Methods: students should show an understanding of the history and development of their chosen methods and their application. Theoretical Orientation and Framework: Proposals should contain a theoretical framework and state its theoretical orientation. Data and ethical considerations need to align with your theoretical framework.
• A comprehensive bibliography of sources identified on the research area;
• An abstract of no more than 250 words, including 5-6 keywords;
• Chapter outlines: Summary of what each chapter in the dissertation will cover (approximately 250 words for each chapter).
Department of Fine Arts Internal Research Proposal Workflow
Signing Oversight and Research Proposals
Please note that the PG administrators nor the SAM has academic oversight and, therefore, cannot sign off on academic forms. As such, forms need to be signed off by the Departmental PG coordinator, Prof Sharlene Khan (if necessary), who acts as academic oversight within the Dept (if not available then HoD will have to sign), then forms are signed by the School PG Chair (Dr Myer Taub), and if Prof Taub is not available, then either by the Deputy HoS Tanja Sakota or by the HoS Prof Rene Smith).
It is, thereafter, sent by the supervisor or student to Faculty Officer Mpho Ntseare (Mpho.Ntseare@wits.ac.za), with a cc. to the Dept PG coordinator Prof Sharlene Khan (Sharlene.khan@wits.ac.za)
Internal proposal reading system
A date for the public presentation of the proposal needs to be decided on, with the reader being available for this date to see the prac work and have read (already) the proposal submitted – the supervisor to set up the date, communicate with proposal reader(s). One reader is appointed for MAFA.
The student will send a copy of their proposal to the supervisor TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE OF PROPOSAL PRESENTATION. The supervisor will send the proposal to the reader(s) and to the Dept PG coordinator to circulate to all staff and students.
The supervisor will run the proposal session. Student to present with prac work and concepts/argumentation of research proposal for 20-30 minutes maximum. Thereafter, the proposal reader(s) give feedback to the student for about 15/20 minutes, and the remainder of the time, other colleagues and peers give feedback.
Within FIVE DAYS of the presentation, the proposal readers submit at least a one page report on the proposal presentation (this should address written dissertation and practice). The report should outline what must be changed for the proposal phase and what are considerations for the larger project. The report should also say if the proposal is accepted as is, accepted with corrections or rejected and has to be resubmitted. If no report is sent through in the five days, the Dept PG coordinator, Prof Sharlene Khan, or the HoD(s) to contact proposal reader(s).
Students whose proposals have been ‘accepted’ or ‘accepted with corrections’ to finalise proposal based on the verbal and written feedback. Where there is a reject, students will have to resend proposal to proposal reader(s).
Supervisor writes a short letter confirming that proposal feedback has been incorporated into the proposal to their satisfaction.
The proposal is now ready to be submitted to Faculty and for the decision to be coded. The supervisor should send in the following:
• Copy of the finalised research proposal, incorporating reader feedback, with Turnitin report attached.
• Statement of principals form is attached and is signed by both student and supervisor.
• The reader’s report has to be attached – this should be at least one page in length giving a summary of the project, feedback to the student on their project conceptualization and framing, any corrections needed, relevant creative, literary, field sources they can/should be referencing. Proposal report should make clear what needs to be attended to in the proposal and what is feedback for the larger project.
• Research proposal submission form filled in by student and supervisor. Details filled in should include ticking the MA by Research option, filling in the abstract, date of seminar (Faculty requirement); proposal reader to fill in and sign (the reader has to circle that the corrections has been accepted); the form is checked and signed by the Dept PG coordinator (on page 4 under ‘signature of chairperson’ and NOT on page 3 on the ‘signature of the School Graduate Coordinator’ – this part has to be signed by the School PG Chair; tick both boxes at end of the form ‘yes’ (using internal system and reader’s report is attached). Once the above is done, this form, with the proposal is sent to the School PG Chair to sign and send back to the supervisor.
• A short letter by the supervisor stating that the corrections/ amendments advised by the reader have been attended to.
All the abov are now sent to Faculty Officer Mpho Ntseare by either the supervisor or student with a cc to the Dept PG coordinator (Prof Sharlene Khan). Queries around proposals can thereafter be followed up with Mpho. The Faculty records the decision signed by the proposal reader on the form and sends the letter of outcome. The proposal process is now concluded. Once the proposal has been submitted to Mpho, the student should immediately apply for ethics clearance to the HREC committee.
PG Forms can be located here: https://www.wits.ac.za/humanities/faculty-services/postgraduateservices/
Timeline of submission of proposal
Students who fail to meet the 6-month full-time or 12-month part-time deadline for extenuating circumstances, may request an extension of 2 months to complete their proposal, failing which, the Department will recommend de-registration from the programme.
Change of Supervisor and Submission without Supervisor’s Consent
While it is not advisable for students to submit without their supervisor’s consent, sometimes relations between a supervisor and student may break down. While, in the first instance, the Departmental postgraduate coordinator should be approached well in advance to intervene where possible in assisting both supervisor and student (or alternatively where this is not ideal the Head of the Fine Art Department can be approached), where there is an irrevocable breakdown in a relationship, a change of supervisor can be requested. Where this happens close to submission for examination and there is contestation over the submission for examination itself, students who intend to submit without their supervisor’s consent are required by the Faculty to submit a motivation THREE MONTHS prior to submission to the Senior Faculty officer Phillimon Mnisi (Phillimon.Mnisi@wits.ac.za).
Seminars and Workshops
The WSoA-Fine Arts Creative Research Programme is aimed at all postgraduate students in the Department of Fine Arts. However, there may be focused methodology and practice-based workshops run specifically for PhD students throughout the year. Attend as many postgraduate seminars and workshops as possible and use opportunities to present your proposal and chapter ideas, chapter plans, publications, etc. Look over the year’s seminar and workshop programme, paying particular attention to methodology and academic writing workshops that you feel may be helpful to your research
interest. Recorded presentations from past years can be found under the PG seminars’ archive on Ulwazi under the following PG courses (one must self-enrol on these sites):
- Fine Art PG courses site:
HMN-WSoA-Fine Art PG-2024: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/9K743E
PhD students are expected to present their work as part of the open studio days. Each student is allocated up to an hour to present work to their peer and staff body for critical engagement. Try to present at least once a semester. These sessions also help us think through presentation possibilities each time - thus, presentation itself becomes a discursive, reflexive exercise. Students can also use this opportunity to present their PhD proposals.
Reading Groups and Writing Circles
The postgraduate community have developed their own peer-led reading groups. Students are encouraged to continue attending and forming their own focused reading and writing groups to attend to their research needs. The Wits Writing Centre runs writing circles, which postgraduate students can attend, as an individual or as a writing group.
Students can self-enrol in the Wits Writing Programme on Ulwazi using this URL: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/RY64HX
Please contact the Writing Centre for further questions: writingresponse.WWC@wits.ac.za
Ulwazi
Postgraduate forms, information and previous seminars / workskhops / talks / conferences are archived on the following Ulwazi sites on which you have to self-enrol:
- Fine Art PG courses site:
HMN-WSoA-Fine Art PG-2024: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/9K743E
4. Research Ethics Training and Ethics Clearance Protocols
Ethics Clearance
The University insists that all its research be conducted following the very highest ethical standards. Research integrity in general is a cornerstone of high-quality research.
All researchers including staff and students conducting any research that may impact directly or indirectly on people, animals or the environment need to seek ethics clearance before any research is conducted. If one fails to obtain ethical clearance before the research is started, then this may lead to a breach of research integrity, articles not being published and students being barred from graduating.
The University’s Ethics Committees are registered with the National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC) of the Department of Health. As such, we fully subscribe to the document entitled Ethics in Health Research.
Online MAFA/PhD by Research Application for Ethics Approval using the Ethics Management System (EMS)
• In most cases requests for ethical clearance certificates need to be submitted via the online Ethics Management System (EMS)
• If you need help with writing and/or submitting an application, please use this Ethics User Guide: https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/research/ documents/Ethics-UserGuide.pdf
• It is best to access the EMS via the webpage which describes the most appropriate ethics committee for your research. There are six committees which can be reached by following this link: https://www.wits.ac.za/research/researcher-support/researchethics/ethics-committees/
Sue Pam-Grant, Duel/Duet: The Every Love Story, 2019
As an Honours, MAFA or PhD student, if your research topic (any aspect of it, including your practice) involves any human or animal subjects, even a single participant and including autoethnography, you need to apply for ethics clearance for your project (if it doesn’t you still need to complete the ethics application applying for waiver.) Please discuss with your lecturer or the course coordinator timeously what this entails, as you may not conduct any part of the research that involves human or animals subjects (including interviews, photographs, videos) until you have ethics clearance from the School Sub-Committee or University Ethics Committee. Your supervisor should assist in filling in the form and must sign off that your application has been properly filled before it goes to the University Ethics or School Sub-Committee with the proper documentation.
Documents to be Submitted:
1. Completed ethics application form
2. Participant information sheet(s), where necessary
3. Consent form(s) (if required)
4. Details of research instruments used (e.g. questionnaire/ interview questions; drafts if final not available)
5. Submitted or accepted research proposal.
6. Distress protocol (if required)
7. Submitted or accepted research proposal
8. Dept of Fine Art Preliminary Ethics Consideration Form
All MAFA by Dissertation and PhD ethics submissions should be submitted via the University online portal, with a printed hardcopy delivered to Ms Shaun Schoeman (Shaun.Schoeman@wits.ac.za).
Ethics process – Fine Arts
Honours Students
• Full-time Honours students must submit an ethics application to the WSoA Ethics Committee by no later than June using the proposal they have worked on in Critical Theories and Visual Culture and with their assigned supervisor. This is to get ethics clearance for their specific creative and research essay projects. Hons ethics submissions to be sent to the WSoA PG administrator Maud Maphali: PG.WSOA@wits.ac.za (unless they involve vulnerable participants in which case they have to go to the Main University non-medical HREC).
• Part-time Honours students in their second year must submit for the Hons long essay an ethics application to the WSoA Ethics Committee by no later than June using the proposal they have worked on in Critical Theories and Visual Culture and with their assigned supervisor. This is to get ethics clearance for their specific research essay project.
• All Hons students are required to attend an University’s ethics session and get ethics certification for the training from either the course or via an online course such as TRREE
• By not submitting an ethics application, students acknowledge that they are violating the requirements of ethics procedures required by the university
Master of Arts in Fine Arts (MAFA) and PhD Students
• Within the first 3 months of their registration (full-time and parttime), MAFA and PhD students will submit the preliminary ethics form (having worked on it with their MA supervisor) to Prof Sharlene Khan for feedback and to be logged in the Dept ethics system.
• All MAFA and PhD students need to submit their HREC ethics application via the online system (https://www.witsethics.co.za/ Login.aspx) as soon as they submit their finalised proposal to Faculty, working with their assigned supervisor – their supervisor
will not give any feedback on their practical or written work until students have submitted their ethics application. Ethics clearance is for a student’s specific project. As part of their HREC application, students need to submit their preliminary ethics form.
• All MAFA students are required to attend an University’s ethics session and get ethics certification for the training from either the course or via an online course such as TRREE
• By not submitting an ethics application, students acknowledge that they are violating the requirements of ethics procedures required by the university
Department of Fine Arts Trial Preliminary Ethics Process 2024
The Department of Fine Art is trialling out a new preliminary ethics process, which will allow you to engage with human subjects during your proposal process. A preliminary ethics form is filled out thinking through research within the first 3 months of your first year of registration, it is signed by yourself and your supervisor and logged with Prof Sharlene Khan. This will then allow you to continue with work on human subjects, including yourself. When you formally apply for ethics clearance to HREC, once you have submitted your research proposal officially to Faculty, then you will submit this preliminary ethics form with the HREC application.
Research on Wits or Its People
Should you want to conduct research about the University or want to use the University community as research participants then you will have to discuss the project initially with the Assistant Registrar, Ms Nicoleen Potgieter (Nicoleen.Potgieter@wits.ac.za).
• Students or staff currently registered with the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg for Hons, Masters or PhD degree wanting to conduct research by either using Wits students or staff data need to apply to the University Deputy Register’s Office for permission to conduct the research.
• Source: https://www.wits.ac.za/research/researcher-support/ research-ethics/ - for more information and relevant ethics forms to be filled out.
Ethics Submission Dates for MA and PhD students in 2024
The ethics application form (question 10.2) asks about ethics training that you have received. There are a number of options for completing ethics training – for example, ethics workshops are run by the University Ethics Committee, or ethics training may be completed online.
Applicants are required to provide evidence of ethics training in order to receive an ethics clearance certificate. This is an NHREC requirement. Please provide details of ethics training completed within the past 3 years.
For main committee applications, applicants may complete one of the suggested courses detailed below, or some other training course. A certificate must be provided however.
For school level applications, students may complete one of the suggested courses detailed below or else provide details of ethical input as part of a research methodology course (but please indicate the course code, dates of attendance and give some detail about the course).
In the case of a waiver application, for school level applications training is strongly recommended but not required. However, a training certificate is required for waiver applications to the main committee.
Ethics training at Wits
An ethics training workshop entitled: ETHICS IN RESEARCH AND APPLYING FOR ETHICS CLEARANCE, is run throughout the year through the Postgraduate Affairs Office of the University (see: https:// www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/students/postgraduate-hub/ documents/Gold2023.pdf).
TRAINING WORKSHOPS IN 2024
Tues 23 Jan 9:00-13:00
Tues 20 Feb 13:00-17:00
Tues 19 March 13:00-17:00
Weds 17 April 9:00-13:00
Weds 15 May 9:00-13:00
Tues 18 June 9:00-13:00
Tues 16 July 13:00-17:00
Weds 14 Aug 13:00-17:00
Weds 18 Sept 13:00-17:00
Weds 16 Oct 13:00-17:00
Weds 13 Nov 9:00-13:00
This workshop has two components. PART 1 (3 hours) comprises formal training on research ethics, with a particular emphasis on social science research. This training is content based. There is a formal written assignment following this workshop. Successful completion of this assignment will allow participants to receive a Certificate of Competence in Research Ethics. PART 2 (1 hour) describes how to apply for ethics clearance to the University Research Ethics Committee (NonMedical) or to school ethics committees. This workshop will be relevant to Honours, Masters, PhD students as well as staff dealing with human subjects in their research projects.
TRREE (Training and Resources in Research Ethics Evaluation)
• This is an online ethics training resource.
• Ethics training can be completed free of charge on the TRREE website - https://elearning.trree.org/
• You only need to complete Module 1 (EN): Introduction to Research Ethics.
• You will need to register on the system to complete the training.
• You can download the notes for reading later.
• It takes 2-3 hours to complete the module.
• There is a quiz at the end of module with MCQ questions; you must obtain at least 70% at the first try.
• To obtain a certificate after completion of Module 1: while logged in, return to the home screen and click on Module 1 (EN) again; the system will open up a page with objectives for the module; scroll down and you should find your certificate under the heading ‘Training Material’.
Macquarie University
This is an online ethics training resource. It is more suited to humanities and social science projects.
• Ethics training can be completed free of charge on the websitehttps://ethicstraining.mq.edu.au/
• You will need to register on the system to complete the course.
• It takes an estimated 2-3 hours to complete the module.
• There is a quiz at the end of each section with MCQ questions. If you fail one section, you may take the quiz in that section again, but you can only do so after 24 hours. You must correctly answer 2/3 of the questions in each section to pass that section.
• After all sections have been passed, you can print a certificate for the ethics training.
5. Plagiarism and Referencing Guidelines
The University views academic plagiarism as an offense. Please familiarise yourself with what constitutes academic plagiarism and choose a referencing style employed by the University. For more information please see:
You are required to submit a Turnitin Report with your proposal/thesis/ dissertation. This can be generated via the PG Ulwazi site <HMN-WSoA-PG Similarity Report-2024>
The course can be joined by students, using this link: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/7H7NTF
Submit your assignments, Hons long essay, proposal, dissertation or thesis as a MS Word document under the tab ‘Assignment’, then upload the submission to ‘Turnitin Submissions’. Submit your document in Word format (only do this once if possible) – thereafter, ask your supervisor to generate a Turnitin Report for you. Please do not leave this for the last day of your submission as large documents (especially with visuals) can take up to a day to generate a report and sometimes these sites can often go down leading to a lot of anxiety!
Wolmarans open studios, 2021
6. Postgraduate Welcome, Orientation and Open Studios Dates 2024
Slots should be booked with the postgraduate coordinator Sharlene Khan (Sharlene.Khan@wits.ac.za) at least a week in advance. Each student is allocated up to an hour for presentation and discussion of work/ideas/proposals – students, supervisors, staff and invited guests are welcome to join the discussions. Proposals should be emailed a week in advance to the pg coordinator so it can be sent out with the invite to staff, students and guests for engagement.
Term 1: PG Welcome and Orientation
Wednesday 14 - Friday 16 February 2024
Term 2: PG Open Studios Term 2
Tuesday, 7 May and Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Term 3: PG Open Studios Term 3
Wednesday, 7 August and Thursday, 8 August 2024
Open to all Hons, MA and PhD students
Term 4:WSoA Postgraduate Conference 2024
Thursday, 19 and Friday 20 September 2024
The Point of Order, Noswall Hall
Oupa Sibeko, Black is Blue, MAFA Exhibition Installation, 2019
7. WSOA-Fine Art Creative Research,
Open Studios and Conference Programme 2024
Weekly, Thursdays, 9.00-12.00h
Venue: Es’kia Mphalele Building Seventh floor (formerly University Corner, Seventh Floor - UC-7 - glass doors when elevator opens)
Seminars, workshops and talks are directed at supporting students’ research, writing and critical thinking around artistic practice. They are voluntary and student-centred. WSOA staff and invited guests run staff-led seminars, workshops and talks, and draw strongly on their practices within the field of arts and are oriented towards practice and its relationship to artistic research, as well as field conversations. The seminar, workshop and open studio programme is devoted to research methodologies and aspects of postgraduate academic and creative research and writing, including the writing of abstracts, proposals, literature reviews, research questions, chapter outlines/mind-mapping and ethics protocols.
Students are expected to read prescribed texts and participate in the discussion. From the second semester, PG students will create the programming for the fortnightly meetings, while Open Studios will continue to be coordinated by the PG coordinator.
There are also seminars and workshops run by various Departments in WSoA and other centres on campus aimed at supporting Humanities and postgraduate students (including Faculty writing retreats and writing groups) – these are announced via email and online services so please keep abreast of your Wits mails.
Mujahid Safodien, Honours exhibition, 2021
Student-Centred Approach
Postgraduate studies are important moments of actualisation in a student’s experience, and it requires a new independence in research and self-articulation. It is up to you, as students, to shape your own course over the 1, 2 or 3 years of the Hons, MAFA or PhD degree and to self-organise and take ownership of the program and shared resources. The postgraduate programmes provide opportunities for the development of a shared culture amongst postgraduate students through not only its formal programme, but also other programming like the TPO and Art House exhibitions, DIVA Talks series, etc. Staff-led seminars are based on the individual practices of staff and invited guests. Workshops allow for smaller groups of students to be workshopped individually with their peers on specific focused areas of their research. Student-led sessions are opportunities for peer engagement, lateral learning and information sharing (many of your peers are already established industry professionals and knowledge producers). Thus, peer learning and knowledge sharing is considered equally valuable and students should take ownership of these sessions and mould them for the needs of their particular groups. Postgraduate sessions aim to be student-centred and focused (please refer to the Code of Conduct begun by the 2019 MA group as a code of practice for seminar sessions).
Please self-enrol on the following websites in order to get the latest information:
- Fine Art PG courses site:
HMN-WSoA-Fine Art PG-2024: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/9K743E
- WSOA Postgrad Ulwazi Module WSOA-POSTGRAD-2024:
https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/BC7AYC
Term 1
Fine Arts Department PG Orientation Programme: Wednesday, 14 Feb – Friday, 16 February 2024
Wednesday, 14th February
9.00-11.00: Welcome (Prof Sharlene Khan)
11.00-12.30: PG (Hons, MA, PhD) programmes information (Prof Sharlene Khan)
12.30-14.00: Introduction to Fine Arts staff and lunch
14.00-14.30: GEO information
14.30-15.00: Wits Writing Centre Introduction: Fouad Asfour
15.30-16.00: CCDU Introduction
16.00-17.00: Walking tour of Fine Arts facilities and university libraries (PG student)
Thursday, 15th February
9.00-11.00: What is practice-led research? (Bettina Malcomess)
11.00-13.00: Department of Fine Arts Proposal process (Prof Sharlene Khan)
14.00-16.30: Intro to new PG students (each student has 5 mins to present) (PG students)
Friday, 16th February
9.00-10.00: Dept OHS (compulsory for all new PG students) (Prof Sharlene Khan)
10:30-13.00: Ethics workshop (compulsory for all new PG students) (Prof Sharlene Khan)
14.00-16.30: Electing 2 PG student reps and PG student engagements with peers
What
to Consider in Completing an MA Research in One Year
Mbali Dhlamini (Fine Arts)
Thurs, 22 February 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
Understanding what is required to complete your degree and how to use your hypothesis/research aim to hold you accountable to your objective.
The Need for a Research Question
Prof Sharlene Khan (Fine Arts)
Thursday, 29 February 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
This is a workshop session, which looks at the need for a focused research question in academic study and workshops each participant’s own research ideas and questions. This workshop is open to new PG student only and space is limited to 20 students for the workshop. Please book in advance with Prof Sharlene Khan: sharlene.khan@wits. ac.za
Working Towards an Understanding of Practice-based Research
Prof Tanja Sakota (Film and TV)
Thursday, 7 March 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
During this seminar we will unravel the elements that constitute practicebased research. We will focus on how process becomes essential to understanding research and how artists (in the broadest sense) are also scientists, scholars, researchers and sources of knowledge production.
Writing Effective Literature Reviews
Greer Valley (Curatoria, Public and Visual Cultures)
Thurs, 14 March 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
This workshop will focus on text selection techniques, critical appraisal, synthesis strategies, and efficient writing and structuring of literature reviews for your academic dissertation. We will do some practical exercises during the session so please bring along a pen and notepad.
Thurs, 21 March – Public Holiday: Human Rights Day
Term 2
Proposal Writing
Dorothee Kreutzfeld (Fine Arts)
Thursday, 11 April 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
This workshop is focused on which aspects of your MAFA proposal are the least developed and difficult to write - and how to improvise,
integrate and structure different proposal sections into an overall methodology or approach. This can include textual or visual elements. We will work through actual writing samples you bring to the session and apply a set of re-write/edit/listening methods. You will receive a preparatory work/reading document a week in advance and are asked to circulate samples of your writing beforehand.
*Please note this workshop is limited to MA students and to no more than 10 participants, so please book your place by Monday, 2 April 2024 and submit your proposal samples to Dorothee by no later than the 4th of April 2024 (Dorothee.Kreutzfeld@wits.ac.za).
Considering Ethics as a Creative within an Academic Institution
Prof Brett Pyper (Curatorial, Public and Visual Cultures)
Thursday, 18 April 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
Although obtaining ethics clearance is a required part of the postgraduate journey, researchers working with creative methodologies might come up against particular challenges. This workshop will contextualise creative research within Wits’ formal ethics process and will pose and take questions regarding how commitments to ethical practice can aid rather than encumber arts- and practice-led inquiry.
Writing an Abstract
Dr Benita de Robillard (Interdisciplinary Arts and Culture)
Thursday, 25 April 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
Writing an abstract does not need to be limited to the final step of a research process. This applied workshop will be based on Kamler and Thompson’s “tiny text” approach. They argue that, while a strong abstract is essential to publishing and submission success, we can also think about it as a tool to plan and articulate ideas for a chapter or paper in the early stages of writing. The workshop is for students at any phase of the writing process. Participants will gain the most from the session by bringing current drafts with the intention of developing an abstract by the end of the morning.
Excerpts from: Thomson, P. and Kamler, B., 2012. Writing for peer reviewed journals: Strategies for getting published will be provided before the workshop.
Research Sensitivities - How to Navigate the Sexually Explicit in the Arts
Dr Yolo Koba (Film and TV)
Thursday, 2 May 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
Artistic researchers who explore themes of sex, sexuality and gender often encounter a deluge of antagonisms often related to the devalorisation of both their knowledge and process. This presentation proposes a tier model of research sensitivity which attempts to locate sexual artistic research across various hierarchies of risks and possible ways of circumnavigation and risk management.
Fine Arts Open Studios Term 2
Tuesday, 7 May and Wednesday, 8 May 2024: Various studios
Fine Arts students to book slots with Prof Sharlene Khan (Sharlene. Khan@wits.ac.za) or presentations, experimental exhibitions, discussion of ideas and work-in-progress. All new students need to present their research ideas for their MAFA/PhD in this open studio session.
Curating as Practice-based Research
Nontobeko Ntombela (Curatorial, Public and Visual Cultures)
Thursday, 9 May 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
I am a trained artist and my approach to curating has been shaped by my artistic background. This has allowed me to prioritize practice in my work. In this seminar, I will be discussing my approach to curatorial work as a form of research practice. I will draw from my recent curatorial projects such as “When Rain Clouds Gather: South African Black Women Artists 1940-2000” and “Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting: Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective”.
Extended Reality (XR) and The Creative Arts
Tiisetso Dladla (Digital Arts)
Thursday, 16 May 2024, 9.00-12.00, Digital Arts Building Foyer
The seminar on Extended Reality (XR) and The Creative Arts will be a graduate studies discussion on how XR is impacting the creative arts industries. The seminar will include an introduction to XR, illustrations of how XR is impacting the creative industries and a discussion of how XR can be incorporated into the South African creative industries landscape.
Term 3
Students preparing for PG conf
Thursday, 18 July 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
Empowering Rural Creativity: A Journey with Samanthole Institute of Creative Arts
Chepape Makgato (William Humphreys Art Gallery)
Thursday, 25 July 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
This seminar will explore the transformative impact of the Samanthole Institute of Creative Arts in empowering rural communities through art and education. Formerly Samanthole Creative Projects and Workshops, our organization is a catalyst for change, nurturing artistic talents and shaping careers through hands-on creative workshops, mentorship and innovative artist residency programs. It will shed a light how we address educational challenges by introducing artistic documentaries, serving as both inspiration and essential tools for teachers in rural schools. This is a journey showcasing our commitment to engaging communities, nurturing artistic potential, and contributing to the dynamic landscape of creativity and education in rural settings.
LiDAR Scanning
Dirk Bahmann (Architecture and Planning)
Thursday, 1 August 2024: 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
A workshop introducing LiDAR, a remarkable laser scanning technology. Discover how LiDAR enables rapid, high-definition, and precise scanning of spaces, architecture and objects, with practical applications for creative practices and exhibition documentation.
PG Open Studios Term 3
Wednesday, 7 August and Thursday, 8 August 2024, Various spaces
Students to set up exhibitions in their studios as individuals or collectively EMB-7/Wolmarans/other spaces.
Students preparing for PG conference
Thursday, 15 August 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
No Fine Arts programme
Thursday, 22 August 2024
The Art of Documenting your Work and Yourself
Earl Abrahams (Independent filmmaker and visual artist)
Thursday, 29 August 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
During this workshop we will explore best practices for documenting our work/artwork as well as presenting our work and oneself online. We will also take the time to look into the various technological tools and platforms that we have at our disposal, that could potentially aid us in sharing who we are as creatives/artists with the world.
Term 4
Students preparing for PG conference
Thursday, 12 September 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
WSoA Postgraduate Conference 2024
Thursday, 19 and Friday 20 September 2024
The Point of Order, Noswall Hall
No Fine Arts programme
Thursday, 26 September 2024
PG Student-led Programme
Thursday, 3 October 2024, 9.00-12.00, EMB-7
No Fine Arts programme
Thursday, 10 October 2024
Fine Arts End-of-year PG Party
Thursday, 17 October 2024, 16.00-18.00, EMB-7
Zen Marie, Paradise Fallen: Differende Repetition, Installation View, Development toward PhD Exhibition, 2019
8. Department of Fine Art and WSoA Online
For online information on our undergraduate or postgraduate degree programmes, as well as our Department and School events, please visit:
A list of the Department of Fine Art’s staff and their research interests are provided in this PG Handbook to assist prospective students in deciding if they can identify a suitable supervisor for their PG studies. When filling in your application form, please note your preference of supervisor(s). The Department attempts to take your preference into consideration, although due to workloads and other factors, this may not always be possible.
10. Supervision
Supervision is a key aspect of your postgraduate experience. Usually students work with one supervisor from the Department over the course of their MA and PhD studies, but in some cases, there is a second supervisor (this is usually on request when there is a specialist research expertise required). Supervision is usually structured by monthly meetings or, in some cases, scheduled according to need and availability of students and lecturers. As some staff members are employed on less than 100% basis, it is important to work around this and schedule at least online meetings or independent working times when lecturers are away. All supervisors on the program have active art and curatorial practices and this is a huge advantage to students, but timing of meetings and commitments need to be managed accordingly.
We would like to emphasize the dialogical nature of the postgraduate programmes, as one where you lead the process of your degree, supported by your supervisor. You are expected to work independently on your practice and research consistently. You need to keep up with deadlines and manage your time between seminars/workshops, your studio, research and writing, as well as your life and work commitments.
Supervision meetings and regular feedback on both your practice and your writing is a Faculty expectation – should you feel that you are not getting adequate assistance in this regard, you should speak to your supervisor in the first instance, or, thereafter, to the Departmental postgraduate coordinator. This can also be reported on in the yearly MA/PhD progress reports (which are confidential and sent directly to the Faculty administration). Your supervisor also has expectations of meeting with you regularly and seeing work - set timeframes and expectations and attempt to meet these. When you feel you are not able to, revisit these with your supervisor and renegotiate when, as they say, ‘life happens’. Be realistic around your goals - while you may feel you are ready to hand in, your creative work or writing may be saying something else. Your supervisor is there to act as a first
critical response - they are not there to hamper you, but they preempt queries that your proposal readers/examiners may have that may prevent you from completing your degree. It is, thus, necessary for you not to ignore your supervisor’s feedback as simply opinion or commentary but the first external voice that you need to take note of as critical interrogation. Your supervisor will also fill in a yearly MA/PhD progress report - in most cases they try to give objective feedback on how your progress went that year, and if there were any delays that warranted, or if they pre-empt any warnings or extensions, then they try to explain. They are also expected to notify Faculty if there has not been sufficient engagement or progress from a student.
To make the most out of supervision meetings, you might want to consider writing a report on the meeting, what was discussed (major points) and the outcomes decided as well as the next scheduled date of meeting and email that to your supervisor for both theirs and your records. Another helpful method is to audio record – if your supervisor permits this - your consultation sessions with them so that you can hear the feedback more than once. You may be surprised how much you don’t hear the first time around. Most importantly, find a relationship that best works for you and your supervisor –remember, your supervisor wants you to succeed, but you are not their only student! You cannot expect feedback on a chapter in under two weeks (four weeks if it’s a huge chapter or multiple chapters, and and be mindful of the start and end of terms as staff are busy with UG students and examinations). You also cannot expect supervisors to be chasing after postgraduate students for work - for senior students with busy professional and home lives we try to graft a programme of support while leaving as much room for you to work, study and live. The onus is, thus, on you to remain in contact with your supervisor. The postgraduate coordinator will be in contact, however, should you begin missing important timeframes (participation in at least one open studio per semester; research not presented publicly within 3 months of registration; research proposal not submitted within 6/12 months of registration; being alerted by supervisors that no contact has been established since registration for a semester; no end-of-year report submitted) to check-in with you.
Hemali Khoosal, Between Two? Entre Deux, Video Installation, WYAA19 runner-up, 2019, Photograph by Kundai Moyo
11.Department of Fine Art Staff Profiles
Bettina Malcolmess
Bettina Malcomess is a writer and an artist, also working under the name Anne Historical. Their work exists in a diverse set of forms, from long duration performance to staging situations and installations to the book as a site of practice. A practice inhabiting multivocality and density, embodied research and material investigation. Since 2015, Anne Historical has been working with analogue film and sound media to produce a series of works that inhabit the entanglement of memory, technology and history. Treating what is lost in translation as both sonic and luminescent matter, these works constitute a set of unfinished articulations, in counterpoint voices, signals and gestures, making tangible the invisible politics of historical technology. An attempt to queer the signal.
Malcomess has been teaching at the Wits School of Arts, Johannesburg since 2011 and is currently completing a PhD in Film Studies at King’s College London, a media archeology project researching the history of cinema, telegraphy, heliography, cartography and empire. They coauthored the book Not No Place. Johannesburg, Fragments of Spaces and Times (Jacana, 2013) and was the visual editor of Routes and Rites to the City: Mobility, Diversity and Religious Space in Johannesburg (Palgrave, 2017). She is also widely published as a critical and creative writer.
Historical/Malcomess’ work has shown at the Spier Light Art Festival, Cape Town (2020), ICA, Cape Town (2019), ausland, Berlin (2018), Padiglione de Arte Contemporanea (PAC), Milan (2017), Dak’art Biennale, Senegal (2016), the Johannesburg Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2015) and at the La Maison Rouge, Paris and Dresden for the ‘My Joburg’ exhibition (2013). She has collaborated with Betonsalon, Paris (2016) and the Showroom, London (2017). Malcomess cocurated the group exhibition Us with Simon Njami, with iterations at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (2009) and the Iziko South African
National Gallery in Cape Town (2010). In 2018 Malcomess formed an interdisciplinary platform focused on performative practice called the joining room. This was invited by William Kentridge in collaboration with Bhavisha Panchia’s Nothing to Commit Records to form part of Season 3 at The Centre for the Less Good Idea in Johannesburg (2018). She is part of several ongoing collaborations in Berlin with the sound performance space, ausland.
Research interests and areas: -media archeology, technology and race -performance, sound art and theatre -history, narration and archives -creative writing, queer studies and science fiction -film histories and analogue film -books as visual practices
David Andrew
David Andrew is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Fine Arts at the Wits School of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He studied at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, (BA Fine Arts 1985) and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, (H Dip Ed (PG) 1986; PhD 2011, Title: The artist’s sensibility and multimodality: classrooms as works of art). He is a practising artist and lectures in Fine Arts and Arts Education courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His interest in the artist-teacher relationship has resulted in a number of projects aimed at researching, designing and implementing alternative paths for the training of arts educators and artists working in schools. In the period 2003 to 2008 he jointly coordinated the Curriculum Development Project Trust-Wits School of Arts partnership that developed the Advanced Certificate in Education (Arts and Culture) and the Artists in Schools and Community Art Centres programmes. Current research interests include the tracking of histories of arts education in South Africa and southern Africa more broadly; the Another Road Map School Africa Cluster research project with researchers in Cairo, Harare, Kampala, Kinshasa, Johannesburg, Lubumbashi, Maseru and Nyanza;
the On Location research project with the Konstfack University College of Arts, Craft and Design in Stockholm, Sweden; and the reimagining of the arts school and artistic research in the context of the Global South. He was a member of the organising team for the first NEPAD Regional Conference on Arts Education in Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa, 2015) and participated in the second NEPAD Regional Conference on Arts Education in Africa held in Cairo, Egypt, May 2017. In March 2017 he co-convened the ArtSearch Symposium on Artistic Research with Professor Jyoti Mistry at The Dance Factory, Johannesburg. He has presented at numerous conferences including the InSEA Conference in Budapest, Hungary (July 2011) and the Arts in Society Conference also in Budapest, Hungary, (June 2013). In May 2013 he was invited to attend the World Summit for Arts Education in Munich and WildbadKreuth, Germany. One of his most recent publications, An aesthetic language for teaching and learning: multimodality and contemporary art practice is included in the volume Multimodal approaches to research and pedagogy: Recognition, resources and access (2014). His most recent publications are Pedagogies and practices of disaffection: Film programmes in arts schools in a time of revolution, Journal of African Cinemas, Volume 9 Numbers 2 & 3 (2017), co-authored wIth Professor Jyoti Mistry, and Notes from Johannesburg - Dialogues and Itineraries of the South from Kinshasa: Art, History, and Education in ARTL@S BULLETIN, Vol. 7, Issue 1 (Spring 2018). He recently convened the Rorke’s Drift, Histories and Pedagogies – Stories told and yet not told Symposium in Johannesburg, South Africa (5-6 April 2019).
Dorothee Kreutzfeldt
Dorothee Kreutzfeldt lives and works in Johannesburg. Her artistic practice and research have been pre-occupied with spatial realities and imaginations, particularly in the post-Apartheid context of South Africa. This has included researching the impact of bomb attacks in Cape Town in 1999 (‘Fresh’ Residency, 2001), to the ways in which histories are written into the contested and often violent urban fabric of Johannesburg. She completed her MA FA with distinction (2004), which involved collaborations with sign-writers on a series of paintings for ‘mothballed’ buildings in Johannesburg, including the former
Trades Hall which was the site of a miner’s ‘revolt’ in 1922. She was involved in building the artist’s collective Joubert Park Project at the Drill Hall in 2004, which aimed to build artist collaborations and networks that addressed the site and its role as a military base and courtroom during the 1956 Treason Trial in the city centre. In 2014 Kreutzfeldt copublished the book Not No Place, Johannesburg Fragments of Spaces and Times with Bettina Malcomess, which evolved out of five years of research. In all these different projects and initiatives, Kreutzfeldt returns to the details, re-inventions and stresses of spaces, to questions of who built them, how they are adapted and become unreadable structures or fictional memory. Kreutzfeldt lectures in the Fine Arts Department at the WITS University (since 2011). She is represented by Blank Projects, a gallery based in Cape Town. Her latest collaboration, City Without A Sun, consisted of a series of paintings with artist Blake Daniels (http://www.blankprojects.com).
Research interests –painting, urbanism, spatial practices and culture, collectives and artists collaborations, socially/politically/historically informed art practice, inter-disciplinarity and representation, lensbased media, African literature, violence studies, resilience and healing
Joshua Williams
Joshua Williams was born in Cape Town, South Africa, where he completed a BA in Fine Arts (2013) and Masters of Fine Arts (2018) at Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town. Williams trained in sculpture, however works interdisciplinary between sculpture and painting between image and object. Central to his practice is forms of mark making with reference to space and time which extend to notions of memory and archival practices. Broader research interests include intersections of identity, race, trauma (intergenerational and national) and how this informs culture individually and collectively.
Mbali Dhlamini
Mbali Dhlamini (b. Johannesburg, South Africa, 1990; MA University of the Witwatersrand, 2015) is a multidisciplinary artist and visual researcher. Dhlamini performs visual, tactile and discursive
investigations into current indigenous cultural practices. With a view towards decolonized practices in contemporary culture, her work is in constant conversation with her past and present visual landscapes. Working to maintain a state of unlearning and relearning, Dhlamini’s process recognises language as a medium of understanding and as a repository of knowledge. She is a member of Pre Empt Collective, the recipients of the 2021-2022 Javett UP Visionary award.
Natasha Christopher
Natasha Christopher is an artist and academic based in Johannesburg. She has an MA (Fine Arts) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (2007) and completed her undergraduate studies, majoring in sculpture and photography, at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town (1991). She is currently undertaking a PhD in Creative Practice at Wits University and is a PhD Fellow at the Wits Cities Institute. The title of her research is Welkom to Johannesburg, and explores the use of plant life in Johannesburg, and gardens in the Garden City of Welkom, in the Free State Goldfields, as evocations of the two cities’ socio-political histories. Christopher is a full-time faculty member at Wits School of Arts, where she has been teaching photography and studio practice since 2010. Her photographic work consistently evidences her search for intimacy and the personal in all subject matter, whether in the city or the personal domain, keenly considering her position in relation to these subjects, as well as her implicatedness as photographer in the broader power contentions and problematics of photography as a medium.
Rangoato Hlasane
Rangoato Hlasane is a cultural worker, writer, DJ, educator and cofounder of Keleketla! Library in Johannesburg and the Molepo Dinaka/ Kiba Festival in Polokwane. He holds a masters degree in Visual Art from the University of Johannesburg and teaches at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he is an active member of the community and a PhD candidate.
Rangoato is committed to ‘art/s education’ with a social justice agenda including a selection of written contributions:
- 58 Years to the Treason Trial: Intergenerational Dialogue as a tool for Learning (2014)
- Guest author with Malose Malahlela for the 2014 book Creating Spaces: Non-formal Art/s Education and Vocational Training for Artists in Africa Between Cultural Policies and Cultural Funding (English/ German/French) by Nicola Laure Al-Samarai (2014)
- We believe a library is everything (English/Portuguese) Multi-authored case study of Keleketla! Library in the Brazil-based journal, Mesa (No3: Publicness in Art, 2015)
As Mma Tseleng, I plays music to expand his my research into the social, political and economic significance of South African music, with Kwaito at the centre of my work. My research and experiments into South African music histories is published in two books…
- Not No Place by Dorothee Kreutzfeldt and Bettina Malcomess (2013)
- Space Between Us (English/German) edited by Marie-Hélène Gutberlet (2013)
Sonic talks/lectures at events such as the:
- 10 Cities public sphere symposium and concert in Kenya (2013)
- Year After Zero conference in Germany (2013)
- Someone who knows something, and Someone who know something else: Education and Equality symposium of the 9th Bienal do Mercosul in Brazil (2013)
- Stimela: Migration and Song in Southern African Song, Night School (2017)
- Sonic Speculations into Kwaito: documenta14 (2017)
- Kaya FM, Johannesburg (2017)
- Go tsamaya ke go di bona; Emancipatory Epistemologies, Humanities Graduate Center, Universty of the Witwatersrand
Curation/Commissions
Thath’i Cover Okestra, co-curated with Malose Malahlela, is an experiment in ‘writing’ (South) African music histories and rerouting their family trees.
Vol 5 (Berlin, Germany, 2018)
Sharlene Khan
Sharlene Khan is a South African visual artist and scholar. Khan works in a range of media which focus on the intersectionality of race, gender and class and the socio-political realities of a post-apartheid, postcolonial society. She uses masquerading as a decolonising strategy to interrogate her South African heritage, as well as the constructedness of identity via rote education, art discourses, historical narratives and popular culture. She has exhibited in various local and international exhibitions (at the Thessaloniki and Casablanca Biennale) and has participated in a number of international visual artist workshops and residency programmes (Egypt, South Korea, India, France, Mauritius). She was recipient of the Rockefeller Bellagio Visual Arts residency in 2009. She is second prize winner of the German 2015 VKP Bremen Video art award and has been twice nominated for the South African Women in Arts Award (Painting). She is a 2017 recipient of the American Learned Councils African Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship and a 2018 winner of the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Science Award in the Visual Arts category and was a Visiting Scholar at the Humanities Institute at Penn State University. She has presented academic articles and performances at numerous conferences internationally and has published articles in Manifesta, Springerin, Artlink, Artthrob, Art South Africa. She holds a PhD in Arts from Goldsmiths College and has lectured in Visual Arts at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and in Art History and Visual Culture at Rhodes University. She is Associate Professor of Visual Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She runs the National Research Foundation Thutuka funded project Art on our Mind, that holds public dialogues with South African women-of-colour visual artists on their creative methodologies. She is also co-convener of the African Feminisms (Afems) Conference. She is the editor and publisher of the artist books What I look like, What I feel like (2008); I Make Art (2017) and When the moon waxes red: Negotiating Subjective Terrain as an ‘Inside-Outsider’, an ‘Outside-Insider’ (2019) and A Luta Continua: Doing it for Daddy: Ten Years On… (2021).
Her research interests include race studies, black-Afrocentric feminist creative methodologies, postcolonialism, South African visual arts, performativity, African literature, crime fiction, science fiction, film, popular culture (particularly mural studies) and decolonialising aesthetics.
Micheal Cheesman, Landscape Entanglements: exploring Johannesburg and a family archive, MAFA exhibition installation, 2019
Tracey Rose
Tracey Rose was born in 1974 in Durban, South Africa. She holds a Master of Fine Art from Goldsmiths College, University of London (UK) and received her B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in 1996. She was trained in editing and cinematography at The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance in Johannesburg.
Rose belongs to a generation of artists charged with reinventing the artistic gesture in post-Apartheid South Africa. Within this fold, she has defined a provocative visual world whose complexities reflect those of the task at hand. Refusing to simplify reality for the sake of clarity, the artist creates rich characters that inhabit worlds as interrelated as the many facets of a human personality. Her reference to theatre and the carnival tradition also places her work in the realm of satire. As such, it has consistently questioned and challenged the prevalent aesthetics of international contemporary art, the emergence of a dominant cultural narrative of struggle and reconciliation in South Africa and also post colonial, racial and feminist issues in the wider world. Working with performance, often for the camera, Tracey Rose places her body at the center of her practice. She inhabits the roles given to Africans, to African women, and to women in a male dominated world, swallowing stereotypes whole. In her quest to understand the source of these cultural meanings that define the human condition, Rose is inevitably led to religious myths of creation. The scope of Rose’s work is not limited to the boundaries of South Africa, and it has indeed quickly found a global, humanist resonance.
Rose has exhibited and performed widely both at home and internationally, including the South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Johannesburg Art Gallery; Dakar Biennial in 2000 & 2016; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg; The Project, New York; Venice Biennial, 2001 & 2007; The Haywood Gallery, London; The Brooklyn Museum; Tate Liverpool; Bildmuseet, Umea; and most recently Museo Reina Sofia; WIELS Brussels; Dan Gunn, Berlin; EVA International, Limerick; the São Paulo Biennial; Biennial of Moving Images, Geneva; Museum of Modern Art, Buenos
Aires; Documenta 14, Athens & Kassel; and her upcoming mid-career retrospective at Zietz MOCAA entitled “Shooting Down Babylon”. My interests are broad and diverse, but for now my focus is on the following: Performance Art; Video Art; Installation Art; Photography; African Spiritual Practices, and Shamanism.
Zen Marie
Zen Marie is an artist who works in a variety of media. Core to his practice is a concern with how meaning and possibilities are produced through material and immaterial site, space and place.
While working from a position that often begins with photography and film making this extends into performance, sculpture, graphic processes and writing. His areas of focus have included international sport, identity, nationalism, public infrastructure, food, urban space, aesthetics and forays into undisciplined decolonial philosophy. The links between these diverse areas is around the relationship between desire, power, agency and their subversive or revolutionary potential.
Marie currently lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he is a Lecturer in Fine Art at the WITS School of Art. He is also a PhD candidate at WITS, with a focus on areas of art and theory in relation to what he calls situated aesthetic practice.
12. Studios, Equipment, Safety & School Facilities
The Department of Fine Arts is housed in various buildings and spaces across the Wits School of Arts and off main campus. The Administration and staff offices are located in the main WSOA building situated on East Campus, with first, second and third year studios and the Photography and Print sections on the ground floor. ‘Art House’ contains the Workshop on the ground floor (entrance opposite The Nunnery), and senior (3rd and 4th year) studios on two levels upstairs. MAFA and PhD students have studios on the 7th floor of Esk’ia Mphalele Building - EMB (formerly University Corner), and at Number 9 Wolmarans Street in Braamfontein. The Point of Order (TPO) is the Fine Arts project space situated in Bertha Street, Braamfontein.
Limited studio spaces, equipment, facilities, studios are provided by the Department of Fine Arts and Wits School of Arts for the use of students registered for the BAFA, BAFA Hons, MAFA and Creative PhD degrees. These are partially funded by the Redirected/Laboratory Fees that each student pays as part of their University fees. The equipment, facilities, studio spaces and materials belonging to the Fine Arts Department and the Wits School of Arts may only be used for work that is made towards the degree for which a student is registered and may not be used for private or commercial work.
Please note that there are toolboxes with some basic items available for use at the EMB-7 and Wolmarans spaces.
Students are requested to familiarise themselves with the University policies on ICT and on Intellectual Property.
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.) 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 (Hons) and 20th of January (MAFA and PhD) 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, Claire Manicom, 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.
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
The Practice of Booking Equipment
The practice of booking equipment is directed to all Fine Arts students authorised to use Photography Equipment (film & digital), AV Equipment (projectors, monitors, microphones, zoom recorders, media players) and Video (cameras & accessories). Whether you are booking equipment for an extensive shoot or an XLR cable, you must sign it out using the procedures outlined below. Please note that all bookings are for a 3 day period unless otherwise authorised by the Lender; weekend bookings will run from Friday to Tuesday. Equipment loans may be renewed, in person, by bringing the equipment on the due date, and requesting a renewal. This dependent on demand and supply. Under certain circumstances, equipment will be reserved for longer sign outs when required for larger scale assignments and fellowships. This must be motivated for in writing, via email, to the Photography Technician and Academic Head of Photography. Academic supervisors must be copied into the email. It is imperative to your success to ensure you plan ahead.
Booking Instructions
Each booking requires completion of the OFFSITE EQUIPMENT LOAN AND USE AGREEMENT – SHORT TERM (Provided by the Department)
• Equipment loans are on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis and/ or by appointment only.
• During exam and crit periods, Projectors and AV Equipment to be booked online.
• Post Graduate Exhibition Equipment requests must be made in advance, by email booking, to neo.ntsoma@wits.ac.za
Equipment Pick Ups & Returns
The location for equipment collection and returns is in Room 010A TUESDAY – FRIDAY: 13h15 – 14h15
Hours subject to adjustment during exams & crits
• When picking up equipment, valid Student ID must be shown.
• Equipment is only available for Registered Fine Arts Students.
• Proof of registration is necessary for the first loan of the year, and may be requested at any point during the year.
• Equipment may only be picked up by the Borrower.
• Equipment may only be used by the Borrower, and not shared.
• You will be asked to sign a loan agreement stating you have received the equipment listed and all supplementary items included and that they are in good repair. It is your responsibility to ensure all items are in your possession and working properly. You are welcome to request a copy of your loan agreement.
• It is each Borrower’s personal responsibility to ensure there are no issues with the equipment they have signed out. When picking up, please leave yourself enough time to thoroughly check equipment before leaving the Equipment Distribution area.
• Please report any issues immediately (before leaving the Equipment Distribution area), as the Borrower will be held responsible for any losses or damage(s) caused while the equipment is in their possession.
• Equipment may only be returned by the individual who made the original booking.
• Late returns are unacceptable and disrupt the sign out process. Make a courtesy call to the Equipment Room if you are running late for any reason.
STRIKE SYSTEM
TARDINESS WILL RESULT IN A STRIKE
• Failure to return equipment on time affects other students.
• One late is permitted. After your second late return, you automatically go on the ‘Suspended List’ and will lose your sign out privileges for four weeks.
• Students who are late returning equipment more than half a day, automatically lose their sign out privileges and are required to meet with their Class Coordinator and Facilities Manager to determine the length of the suspension from the facilities and equipment, regardless of how many strikes you may or may not have.
• If anything is missing, damaged or stolen students are responsible for retrieving, replacing or paying for the item lost or stolen.
Accountability
In booking equipment, students should be fully aware of their rights and responsibilities to the University, and also to other students who need to use these valuable shared resources.
Procedure in case of loss or damage to equipment:
I. If equipment is damaged or lost it must immediately be reported, via email, to:
a. Natasha Christopher (natasha.christopher@wits.ac.za), and Neo Ntsoma (neo.ntsoma@wits.ac.za).
II. If the equipment is lost or stolen on campus:
a. The Borrower must immediately report the theft to Campus Protection Services (CPS) and to Fine Arts Department staff (see point I)
b. Urgently report the theft to the nearest Police station
c. Furnish University representative (as in point I above and CPS) with a SAPS case number and incident report.
III. If the equipment is lost or stolen off campus:
a. The Borrower must immediately report the theft to the nearest Police station, and to Fine Arts Department staff (see point I)
b. Report the theft to Campus Protection Services (CPS), and provide the SAPS case number and incident.
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.
TPO Website | Facebook | Instagram
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.
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).
Honours Class excursion 2020
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.
13.Department of Fine Art Health and Safety Protocols
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
Audrey Salmon, Clotted Bodies in Paradise, Installation View, 2017
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).
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.
• All students working after-hours have to sign registers every single time at the WSOA security (WSOA studios), the EMB security (EMB-7 security) and the Wolmarans security (9 Wolmarans Studios).
• 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 • 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
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.
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.
Safety on Campus
Wolmarans Studios
You need to sign in daily at the Wolmarans studios whether you are a student, staff member, or visitor. The security writes a report on activity daily. All studios in Wolmarans have a working silent panic alarm in them, as well as a panic alarm in common areas. Should you need assistance, press them and a signal will be sent to main Protection Services who will immediately call the security guard stationed at Wolmarans to let them know an alarm has been activated. A cellphone is available should an urgent call need to be placed to the postgraduate coordinator, to the Fine Arts Department, Protection or Health Services by the security or the community at Wolmarans.
Esk’ia Mphalele Building Seventh Floor (EMB-7) Studios
All pg students and staff are given card access to the access-controlled door at EMB-7. Please ensure that the door remains closed at all times and is not propped open.
Protection Services
The Protection Services Division is responsible for the prevention of crime, the detection and apprehension of offenders, the reservation of peace and the protection of students, staff and University property. Security officers patrol the entire campus 24-hours a day. Services offered by Wits Protection Services include a 24-hour escort service (on campus) for all students and staff, especially those working late in libraries or computer labs. If you require an escort, dial one of the numbers listed below and supply the following information:
• Your name
• Your current location and intended destination • A call-back number in case we need to notify you that your escort has been delayed
All hours and in case of emergency and to escort students on campus at night:
East Campus: (011) 717 4444 / 6666
For more information: https://www.wits.ac.za/campus-life/safety-on-campus/
Wits mySOS Service
Wits has teamed up with mySOS to help the Wits community to be prepared for any emergency on campus. Just press the Wits button and a call will be started to Protection Services. How do you access this service?
1. Download mySOS for free and register yourself as a user.
2. Check that you see the Wits button in mySOS. (if you don’t make sure your cell phone number is updated on your Wits profile online)
3. If you ever have an emergency on any of the Wits campuses, open the mySOS app and press the Wits button.
4. A call will be made to Protection Services and they will receive a notification that you have an emergency and your location.
It’s as easy as that…. But there is more!
mySOS can be used by anyone, anywhere in South Africa – so get your family to download mySOS too; it could help save a life.
KUDU CARDS
Different ways in mySOS can help you:
1. mySOS Panic Button - A mobile, wearable panic button connected via Bluetooth to the mySOS emergency app on your smartphone. If you are ever in a situation where you need help and can’t use your phone directly, this is the solution! Just press the panic button for more than 2 seconds and the mySOS emergency app will inform your emergency contacts of your emergency and your GPS location.
2. 1-button emergency activation – on starting mySOS an automatic countdown timer starts, if this is not cleared, mySOS will automatically notify your emergency contacts with details of the emergency and location.
3. Emergency – offers a list of contact details for the closest and most appropriate emergency service providers based on the nature of your emergency (medical, police, fire, sea rescue or roadside assist). mySOS also notifies your emergency contacts about the incident and your location.
4. Find Near Me – helps you find, contact and navigate to the nearest service provider for the service you need. This includes hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, dentists, police stations and also veterinary services for your four-legged friends.
5. Track Me – Set the countdown timer before you start and mySOS will track you, if anything happens and you do not clear the timer before it runs out, your emergency contacts will be notified about your journey details and current location.
Download the app onto your smartphone and have instant access to details of emergency services nationwide. When you activate an emergency, your emergency contacts also receive notification of your type of emergency and your location
mySOS is free of charge and available from the App Store and Google Play. Download and use it to save a life!
From MySOS: https://www.wits.ac.za/mywits/mysos/
Access to many campus facilities is controlled by the use of student identity cards. Every student must carry their Kudu Card at all times. Please report lost/stolen Kudu Cards to Protection Services IMMEDIATELY. This is to prevent unauthorised use of your card.
You should have your card with you at all times and be prepared to show it to Protection Services or Library personnel at any time if you are asked. Other officers of the University may require your card as identification in labs, examination venues and sports facilities. You may not refuse to identify yourself.
Abuse or misuse of your Kudu Card may lead to disciplinary action or immediate card confiscation.
What constitutes misuse of your card?
• Allowing any other person to gain access to, or out of, any facility
• Being in possession of more than one Kudu Card
• Allowing another person to make use of your card for any purpose, other than to obtain your details for official university purposes
• Failing to store the card in a manner that will prevent it from being damaged (every card is issued with a Card Holder for this purpose)
• Failure to report any financial or fraudulent irregularities.
OTHER USEFUL CONTACTS
Campus Health and Wellness Centre (CHWC)
The Campus Health & Wellness Centre (CHWC) offers a wide variety of health services to Wits students and staff members. The services are convenient, accessible, caring and cost-effective.
Lower ground floor, The Matrix Building, East Campus Tel. 011 717 9110/1/3
https://www.wits.ac.za/campushealth/
Counselling Careers and Development Unit (CCDU)
The CCDU provides a welcoming and safe space to students, to enhance their well-being and contribute to their academic success. They offer career development through career counselling/education, psychometric career assessments and personal development workshops.
The CCDU also offers confidential individual psychotherapy/ counselling, groups for psycho-education and support, stress management, self-esteem and mindfulness.
Both offices are open Monday-Friday 08h00-16h30 https://www.wits.ac.za/ccdu/
Wits Student Crisis Line
Support for students experiencing emotional and psychological distress. The tollfree line is managed by professionals and is available 24/7/365. Call 0800 111 331
Disability Rights Unit (DRU)
The Disability Rights Unit (DRU) is able to assist students with visual, physical, hearing, learning, psychological, speech, chronic illnesses & painful conditions, seizure disorders and students with temporary disabilities (e.g. broken limbs) who may request services for the period during which they are disabled.
Room 1151, First Floor Solomon Mahlangu House, East Wing Closest campus entrance on Jorissen Street 011 717 9154
https://www.wits.ac.za/disability-rights-unit/
psychiatric response unit (24 Hour) 0861 435 78
Gender Equity Office (GEO)
The Gender Equity Office deals with all aspects of gender-based harm, e.g. sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape; sexism / unfair discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation.
20th Floor, University Corner, cnr Jorissen Street and Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein (the building above the Wits Art Museum) Open from 08h00 to 16h30 from Monday to Friday
011 717 9790
https://www.wits.ac.za/students/geo/contact-us/
14.Department of Fine Art Administration
Heads of Department:
Prof Sharlene Khan, WSOA 322, 011 7174637, 083 337 6253
Sharlene.Khan@wits.ac.za (until 30 June 2024, 1 July 2024 onwards - Zen Marie)
Fine Arts Departmental Administrator:
Rebotile Chauke, WSOA 317, 011 717 4654
Rebotile.Chauke@wits.ac.za
Honours, MAFA and PhD Coordination:
Sharlene Khan
Visual Culture and Critical Theories (FINA4019A):
Bettina Malcomess, WSOA 316 | 011 717 4609
Bettina.Malcomess@wits.ac.za
Honours Research Paper (FINA4022A): Bettina Malcomess
Professional Practice (FINA4018A): Sharlene Khan
Fine Arts IVA (FINA4020A) and Fine Arts IVB (FINA4021A):
Venue Booking, Studio Maintenance, Studio Manager: Bongumusa Shezi, WSOA Basement Bongumusa.Shezi@wits.ac.za
Photographic and Film Facilities and Equipment:
Neo Ntsoma, WSOA Ground Floor, 011 717 4625
Neo.Ntsoma@wits.ac.za
WSOA Resource Centre:
Emelda Simelane, WSOA Room 220, 011 717 4635
Emelda.Simelane@wits.ac.za
Printmaking Workshop:
Thabiso Kholobeng, WSOA Ground Floor, 011 7174634
Thabiso.Kholobeng@wits.ac.za
Wood and Metal Workshop, Arthouse, 011 7174633
Godfrey Mahlangu, Godfrey.Mahlangu@wits.ac.za
Claire Manicom, Claire.Manicom@wits.ac.za
Art House Windows (EMB ground floor) and Point of Order (Noswal Hall)
Reshma Chhiba, Point of Order (cnr Stiemens and Bertha Street), Reshma.Chhiba@wits.ac.za, 011 7174737
University Ethics Queries
Shaun Schoeman, 011 717 1408
Shaun.Schoeman@wits.ac.za
15. Wits Art Museum
Wits Art Museum (WAM) maintains the largest and most significant holdings of African arts in southern Africa. Over 12000 items have been assembled primarily in recognition of their aesthetic value. Geographically this includes holdings from Southern, West, East and Central Africa. There is significant depth to the collections of beadwork, drums, headrests, wooden sculpture, ceremonial and fighting sticks, masks, basketry, wirework and textiles.
Paintings, drawings, printmedia, and sculpture by artists such as Walter Battiss, Bongi Dhlomo, and Gerard Sekoto are a few examples of historical South African art held at WAM. Contemporary South African art holdings include work by Jackson Hlungwane, William Kentridge, Penny Siopis and others. Artists such as Zander Blom, Gabrielle Goliath, and Nandipha Mntambo represent a younger generation.
WAM also houses the C.J. Petrow Library and the Jack Ginsberg Centre for the Book Arts (JGCBA). C.J. Petrow Library is a reference library and can be visited by appointment. It is a rich source of information on African and southern African art and artists. The JGCBA is home to one of the largest collections of artists’ books. Of the 3500 artists books many are old, rare and important South African and international artists’ books. This covers examples of binding, illustration, printmaking, letterpress, papermaking, typography and photography.
In addition to providing access to the collection as a research resource, WAM partners with the Wits School of Art in hosting PhD candidate exhibitions. Some of these exhibitions have been by Jeremy Wafer, Susan Woolf, and Bronwyn Horne.
For access to the collections, please contact Kutlwano Mokgojwa: Kutlwano.mokgojwa@wits.ac.za
PhD exhibition proposals should be compiled and submitted in conjunction with your supervisor. To submit a proposal, please email Bougaard: Angelique.Bougaard@wits.ac.za
For more information about the JGCBA, please contact WAM on 011 717 1365 or email: Rosalind Cleaver: Rosalind.Cleaver@wits.ac.za or Ciara Struwig: Ciara.Struwig@wits.ac.za
Bronwyn Horne, A[chrono]mation, Installation view, image courtesy of
artist
16.Postgraduate Applications to the Department of Fine Art
For more information on how to apply for the Honours, MAFA and PhD programmes via the University student portal (applications for 2025 open as of 1 July 2024):
The following criteria are needed for consideration in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in the field of Fine Arts programme:
• A minimum of 65% obtained in a BA degree in Fine Arts / Visual Arts / Art History/Curatorial Studies / Photography/ Museology | / Journalism or a related visual culture/ creative arts related field.
• Alternatively if you are planning to apply via a Recognition of Prior Learning then you need to have at least a Matric degree and an age exemption certificate (i.e., be 26 years or older) AND at least 3-4 years of professional practice in the field of fine arts/visual arts/curatorship/art history scholarship/arts writing or a related visual culture or creative arts field.
• Present a strong portfolio of 10 artworks to the committee. These images should be presented as a pdf (digital still images, film stills, link to a website or Vimeo or Youtube links). This pdf will be submitted with all your other application documents on the student portal. Your portfolio of work should reflect your practice up to the present. TIP: As your writing and portfolio represents both you and your work, please give the visual presentation good consideration as the application is reviewed not just by the Departmental Committee, but by School and Faculty Representatives in final decision-making.
• All former academic transcripts of prior degrees.
• A comprehensive Curriculum Vitae detailing professional experience including all qualifications and/or training certificates with formal and informal local and international arts and cultural organisations/projects/community projects that are relevant to the candidate’s practice and research application will be considered by the committee and may be subject to verification. The CV should also detail examples of achievement/ recognition in the professional industry. These may include: solo and group exhibitions, arts projects, arts residencies, visual arts workshops, curated exhibitions, articles/books written, newspapers/magazines contributions, community engagement projects organised, collaborations, internships, academic/ professional/industry awards, organisations and partnership involvement, examples of recognised industry/field/ community awards; professional organisation membership/representation and other examples of recognised creative contribution to the industry; as well as informal/formal academic involvement in conferences, symposia, festivals.
• A recent writing sample that gives the committee a good reflection of your academic writing capacity and/or additionally your creative writing.
• No longer than a one-page proposal of what your intended research area/topic is for the Honours research year should you be accepted.
• A personal motivation reflecting on why you want to apply for the BA Hons degree at the Wits Department of Fine Art and how this relates to your personal trajectory and history. Give us and idea of how this will develop your current artistic or other creative practice. (no more than 250 words)
• Please note: even if your application is reviewed positively we may still require an interview according to Faculty rules.
• If you’re able to upload the above to the student portal, then do so and ALSO email to the Department PG coordinator: Prof Sharlene Khan (sharlene.khan@wits.ac.za) by the closing date.
Closing date for applications - international students: 30 September
Closing date for applications - South Africans: 31 October
The following criteria are needed for consideration for the Master of Arts in Fine Arts programme:
• A personal motivation reflecting why you want to apply for a MAFA degree at the Wits Department of Fine Art and how this relates to your personal trajectory and history. Give us an idea of how this will develop your current artistic or other creative practice. (250 – 300 words)
• A proposal for the MAFA by Dissertation: this should encompass an area of research you would like to pursue, highlighting a focused research area. It should reflect a consolidated direction for both your practice during the MAFA and the theoretical component. TIP: What is your central research question? (remember a research question is not yes or no and must be clear and focused; how do you envision this as a creative component over 2-3 years; how do you see the various 3-4 chapters developing; who are some of the key theorists/theoretical positions or readings that you are hoping might inform your study? (300 – 500 words)
• A detailed professional Curriculum Vitae reflecting professional experience, exhibitions, projects and education; academic writing, other kinds of creative writing.
• All former academic transcripts of prior degrees.
• Please provide us with 1-2 writing samples indicative of your past level of study or professional experience (as you are applying for a MA study, provide us with a sample of writing equivalent at least to a BA Honours study); additionally you can also provide us with a creative writing sample that shows us how you tackle creative productions or how you write creatively or think critically through creativity or use creativity as a methodology.
• Two referees: names, institutional affiliations and contact details.
• Present a strong portfolio of 10 artworks to the committee.
These images should be presented as a pdf (digital still images, film stills, link to a website or Vimeo or Youtube links). This pdf will be submitted with all your other application documents on the student portal. Your portfolio of work should reflect your practice up to the present. TIP: As your writing and portfolio represents both you and your work, please give the visual presentation good consideration as the application is reviewed not just by the Departmental Committee, but by School and Faculty Representatives in final decision-making. (This should be noted when choosing writing samples and writing the research proposals as well.)
• Please note: even if your application is reviewed positively we may still require an interview according to Faculty rules.
• If you’re able to upload the above to the student portal, then do so and ALSO email to the Department PG coordinator: Prof Sharlene Khan (sharlene.khan@wits.ac.za) by the closing date.
Closing date for applications - international students: 30 September
Closing date for applications - South Africans: 31 October
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Wits University and the Wits School of Arts recognises prior learning and experience of applicants and assesses these towards the admission of applicants into undergraduate or postgraduate study or towards the granting of exemption, full or partial credit of one or more courses. Prior learning is recognised as having been acquired through formal, non-formal or informal routes. No applicant under the age of 26 may apply for RPL. RPL will be consider for the BA (Hons) in the field of Fine Arts and the Master of Arts in Fine Arts postgraduate programmes only. If you are interested in finding out more about applying for RPL in the Department of Fine Art, then please contact Sharlene Khan.
To Apply for the PhD Programme
The PhD is the highest qualification which a student can earn by conducting independent research under supervision. The thesis is required to make a recognisable contribution to new knowledge in the field of study, and must be of a publishable standard. In the Wits School of Arts (WSOA) there is no coursework component to a PhD degree.
The PhD degree can be by research only or by creative component and thesis. As such ‘research’ is broadly defined in the latter in terms of both a central creative component derived from ongoing discursive and field research and critical thinking in conjunction with a written, discursive exploration of the topic. The duration of a doctoral degree is normally 3 years full-time and 4-5 years part-time.
Our application requirements for a PhD (whether traditional or creative) requires submission of the following:
• A letter of motivation for the studies in the Department of Fine Arts at Wits
• A 3-page preliminary proposal identifying the proposed area of research enquiry and specific research questions. This preliminary proposal should also demonstrate the applicant’s familiarity with the literature and debates in the field of proposed enquiry.
• Detailed professional Curriculum Vitae
• An academic transcript of all prior degrees
• A copy of your MA report/dissertation
In the case of a PhD by Creative Research, the proposal (which must indicate how the research emanates from the locus of the creative component’s ideas) must be accompanied by:
• A portfolio of work/performance/scripts, etc.
All PhD applications are reviewed by a central admissions committee within the Wits School of Arts. Applicants are advised that the admission process may require applicants to submit additional documents (e.g. SAQA certification, proof of English-language proficiency, etc.), and/ or appear before one or more members of the committee for an interview. Applicants accepted into the PhD programme may enrol throughout the year. Last day of registration: 30 September.
For Honours, MA and PhD applications, apply online or download an application form from the link below: https://www.wits.ac.za/postgraduate/applications/
17. South African Qualifications Authority
If you did not obtain your previous qualifications in South Africa, you need to have the South African equivalents verified by the South African Qualifications Authority. This process can take several months, so apply early to the university and apply asap to SAQA.:
https://www.saqa.org.za/
18. Postgraduate Support on Campus
18.1 Postgraduate Affairs Office
The Postgraduate Affairs Office is an initiative of the University Research Office to promote a public face for postgraduate studies at Wits. Its brief is to improve the overall quality of the postgraduate experience across all five faculties and for focused strategic thinking about the implementation of the 2022 vision to establish a researchintensive University with 45% postgraduate students.
The Postgraduate Affairs Office’s role includes:
• development of appropriate initiatives which will enhance the University’s strategic goals of increasing recruitment and success of postgraduate students;
• formulating policy on graduate studies;
• implementing the Postgraduate Cross-Faculty Symposium;
• designing and implementing generic courses and research support workshops for graduate students;
• designing and implementing writing retreats for graduate students;
• promotion of a public face for postgraduate studies at Wits.
All information concerning postgraduate opportunities will be advertised and sent via ULWAZI using your official student email address. If you wish to use another email address please log into your Wits student address and forward your mails accordingly. We want you to get all the information that will enhance your postgraduate experience.
Director: Professor Robert Muponde
Source: https://www.wits.ac.za/students/academic-matters/ postgraduate-affairs-office/ (consult the website for more information on the research method workshops, as well as the School-specific writing retreats and cross-Faculty postgraduate symposium).
18.2 Humanities Graduate Centre
Postgraduate Training in Research Methods and Seminars
The HGC provides an annual cycle of methods workshops run by expert scholars, timed so that they coincide with appropriate stages in a student’s development of a research proposal, data collection, data analysis, write-up, presentation of results and scholarly publication. These workshops expose postgraduate students and academic staff to the diverse range of methodological strategies and techniques that can be deployed, either singly or in combination, in research. They also provide in-depth training in such strategies and techniques, showing students how the choice of methodological strategy is inextricably linked to the use of concepts within a broader theoretical framework. And they introduce both students and academic staff to new methods as the direction, focus and theoretical orientation of research in the Humanities and Social Sciences changes over time.
The Methods Workshops not only cover specific methodological strategies (e.g. “Designing In-Depth Interviews”, “Narrative Analysis”, “Ethnography and Ethnographic Methods”, “Action Research Principles and Practices”) but also cover topics related to the structuring of the research proposal and the write-up of research findings (such as “How to Write a Research Proposal” and “How to Write a Literature Review”).
A number of workshops are offered through the Grad Centre annually, with total attendance numbering well over a thousand students. Because of their growing size, success and increasing interest from postgraduates in other Faculties, the humanities and social science methods workshops have now been folded into the university-wide post-graduate support programme administered by the University’s Division of Postgraduate Affairs.
Shanti Govender, States of being? MAFA Exhibition Installation, 2019
Postgraduate Student-Initiated Research and Learning Collectives
In the years ahead, scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences will be shaped by today’s vibrant cohort of PhD students and recent doctoral graduates. If they are truly to take ownership of a transformed South African academy, they will need to have the freedom and confidence to pursue agendas in theory and research that they have crafted themselves or in conversation with one another.
The HGC provides both the space and the financial resources that postgraduates require in order to initiate their own independent explorations in theory, creative work and policy-oriented research. Such initiatives—often in collaboration with doctoral programmes in each discipline as well as with the Faculty Research Chairs, Centres and Institutes—have taken the form of self-organised courses, thematic student-staff reading groups, workshops with international visiting scholars, and postgraduate symposia and conferences.
Recent examples include the Horizontal Group on the Subject, Subjectivity and Subjectification; the Social Theory Group; the Critical Knowledge Production Collective; and the Reading Group on African Critical Thought. Interdisciplinary reading groups involving PhD students and staff include one on Collective Trauma, Violence and Memory and another on Desire and Difference: Affects, Objects, Bodies.
Postgraduate students often use these groups to present their own work to one another.
The Wits Writing Centre is for anyone at Wits who wants to work on their writing: for those who already write well and for those who would like to write even better. In all cases you, the writer, make the decisions and direct the writing.
The WWC is for any student or staff member who wants to work on a particular piece of writing. Bring along essays, plans, drafts, practice exam questions and answers and even creative, non-academic writing. Some of our most successful consultations are with students who are already good writers who realise the value of an attentive reader and who go on to produce excellent essays.
WWC consultants will not edit or write for you, but they will listen and help you to put together your ideas and thoughts. Consultants can also focus the session on the language of the paper to point out patterns of mistakes or the need to rethink tone or tighten focus and streamline structure. So, come along and use this valuable service and improve your writing skills.
To learn more about the Writing Centre, visit them at Wartenweiler Library, or self-enrol on Ulwazi using this URL: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/ enroll/RY64HX
19. Wits Fees
Tuition fees are payable for each course for which a student is registered. Charges ancillary to tuition fees, such as charges for course notes or for excursion costs are not included in the amounts listed. Club memberships fees are also not listed. These additional amounts will be reflected on the student’s fee account.
First Fee Payment
New and returning South African residents, SA permanent residence permit holders and refugee permit holders, are required to make a first payment of R9340 on their fees account prior to registration at the University.
Is the payment refundable?
The first fee payment is not refundable if you subsequently cancel your registration
Is everyone required to make the first payment?
The following students do not have to pay the first fee payment:
1. NSFAS STUDENTS
Please ensure you have received confirmation from NSFAS that you have been awarded NSFAS funding, or check at www.nsfas.org.za to confirm.
2. WITS SCHOLARSHIPS RECIPIENTS
If you have been awarded a scholarship, you do not have to pay the first fee payment. The University Entrance Scholarships are awarded on the basis of NSC matric results to current matric applicants.
3. EXTERNAL BURSARY HOLDERS
If you are being funded by a donor or external bursary please ensure that you have contacted the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office to make sure that your donor has made arrangements to pay your fees.
Students also have the option to postpone the first fee payment by logging into the Self-Service portal and clicking on the “First Fee Payment” tab. After completion of the necessary information the first fee payment will be waived and the student may proceed with on-line registration. Please note, 100% of the total tuition fee must be paid on or before the last working day in March.
Accessing your Fee Account and Full Payment of Fees
Once you have registered, a fees account is generated on self-service at https://self-service.wits.ac.za
The University may alter the payment schedules in keeping with normal accounting practices. Applicants should know, however, that at present fees are due as follows:
• 100% of the total tuition fee must be paid on or before the last working day in March.
• Provision is made for the monthly payment of fees - interest is charged on the balance owing.
• International students who are offered a place must pay 75% of their fees in full before registration, and the remaining 25% by no later than the 31st of March 2024.
Student Fees – Bank Payment Details:
Please use: Standard Bank account number: 002891697; Branch code: Braamfontein 004805; Account name: Wits Student Fees.
PLEASE USE YOUR STUDENT NUMBER AS YOUR PAYMENT REFERENCE.
Email proof of payment to feesoffice.finance@wits.ac.za
Fee Structure for International Students
All international students (those who are not South African citizens or who do not have permanent residence status in South Africa) are required by the Department of Home Affairs to provide proof of available funds for the tuition fee for the academic year prior to receiving his/her study visa.
How to Pay your Fees
Payments to the University can be made in the form of a bank draft issued in South African currency of “ZAR” and made payable to the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, or by electronic transfer.
Financial Assistance
Financial aid (bursaries/loans) from the University is not available for international undergraduate students. A graduate student registered for full-time study may be eligible for a postgraduate merit award (which is given on the basis of academic excellence).
Average Living costs
The average exchange rate is around $1 = R12.00 – R15.00.
US Federal Aid
Wits University is eligible to participate in the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program. This program allows a US Citizen, permanent resident or eligible non-citizen student to apply for a Subsidized Loan, Unsubsidized Loan, Graduate Plus Loan or a Parent Plus Loan. Direct loan funds can only be used by the registered student solely for study-related costs.
For more information on international student fees or telephone +27 (11) 717-1054 or e-mail studysa.international@wits.ac.za
For more information on fees please consult the following: https://www.wits.ac.za/study-at-wits/fees-and-funding/fees-office/ Contact us on Tel: 27 (11) 717 1888 or Fax: 27 (11) 717 4918
The Fees Office and the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office are using a query logging system called ISM.This is to improve on turnaround times and to track queries efficiently.
All students need to log their queries on ISM using the following link: https://witshelp-ism.saasiteu.com.
The FEES and FASO offices will no longer respond to student queries via email.
Please log one ticket only and keep your reference number for any follow ups.
20. Scholarships and Funding
The Financial Aid & Scholarships Office (FASO) administers funds on behalf of the University, donors and sponsors. The office also seeks to provide information on student funding. https://www.wits.ac.za/study-at-wits/financial-aid-and-scholarshipsadministration/
Scholarships and Bursaries:
• In January of each, the University does a call for Hardship funding.
• Around June-July of each year, the National Research Foundation opens up its postgraduate scholarships applications
The aim of the University Postgraduate Merit Award (PMA) is to assist graduates to complete Honours, Masters, or PhD degrees by research or by a combination of course work and research for full-time study. No application is necessary for the Postgraduate Merit Award. Please note, the Award does not fund all courses.
PLEASE NOTE REVISED 2024 RULES for the PG Merit Award
• HONOURS: 75% Average in 3rd year of an Undergraduate Degree and must be completed in N+1 years.
• MASTERS: 75% Average in Honours, 4th Year of a professional degree or PG Diploma and must be completed in N+1years.
• PhD: 75% Average in Master’s and Masters must be completed in N+1 years.
• Provisional offers will be sent to eligible students.
• Students that do not meet the criteria will not receive any communication.
• Please refer to the terms and conditions for more details.
Terms and Conditions - PMA
• Full-time students that have been awarded the PMA need to fulfil duties with their schools each block.
• Please speak to your school administrator once registered. Your duties will be assigned to you and schools will submit a list of all the students who have completed their duties each block.
• Please make sure your banking details are updated on the student self-service portal.
Schools need to submit lists by the following dates:
National Arts Council Bursaries for Postgraduate Study
https://www.nac.org.za/bursaries/
22. Code of Conduct
• Most postgraduate sessions, unless otherwise indicated, are flexible & non-compulsory, however, attendance particularly in the first semester around proposal, academic writing and methodologies are encouraged, as is participation in the peerled sessions.
• Readings should be circulated at least a week in advance of class.
• Seminars and workshops are interactive and student-centred.
• In the first semester, staff and guest workshop will be focused around methodologies training and practice-led inquiries and theorisations. Student-led sessions are to be determined and chaired by the postgraduate cohort.
• All sessions are to be considerate of voicings, framings and methodologies of decoloniality and social justice where necessary, allow persons equal time to present and be considerate of those presenting by not disturbing (including disturbing persons by side conversations or by mobile phones).
• Please treat people how you expect to be treated – an ethics of care to be practiced in all sessions, including scheduling of breaks, maintaining respectful ways of engagement, attempting different pedagogical modes.
• Be mindful and respectful of shared and personal space(s).
(With thanks to the MA 2019 group for generating this Code of Conduct, which can be amended and further developed)
Daniel Gray, Vibrationology:
Searching for Resonances in the Sonic Architecture of Matter(s), 2019
23. Postgraduate Forms and Info
The forms presented here are just to give you a guideline on forms that are needed – please refer to the relevant Faculty Graduate Office website for the most recent version of these forms (only the first page of these forms is shown here) as well as the Ulwazi Fine Art PG courses which presents these.
- Fine Art PG courses site:
HMN-WSoA-Fine Art PG-2024
*Departmental course for all Hons, MAFA and PhD students (includes all pg info/forms, seminars/workshops/open studio notification and archive) – students to self-enrol on this module using the following link: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/9K743E
- WSOA Postgrad Ulwazi Module
WSOA-POSTGRAD-2024
*Wits School of Arts course for all Hons, MAFA and PhD students (includes all pg info/forms, seminars/workshops) – students to selfenrol on this module using the following link: https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/enroll/BC7AYC
Form to be filled by yourself, your supervisor for your submission of your proposal and your reader on completion of reading your proposal
Any changes to your enrolment, including change of degree, supervisor, timeline to your proposal, taking longer than a year to complete your MA, 3 years to complete your PhD, etc.
Supervisor Report Form – progress report completed at the end of each year by the supervisor and sent to Faculty
Postgraduate Student Progress Report Form – progress report completed at the end of each year by the student and sent to Faculty
To be submitted by student to Faculty when submitting research for examination
Supervisor to fill in the form giving consent to Faculty that the students work can be submitted for examination
Form to be filled in by the supervisor to nominate the final examiner(s)
Document outlining criteria for submission of research for examination to Faculty Requirements for finalised library submission (post-examination)
DEPARTMENT OF FINE ART POSTGRADUATE HANDBOOK 2024
Images courtesy of Reshma Chhiba, Mujahid Safodien,