Culture and Arts - Visual Arts
The purpose of this qualification is to produce learners with high levels of creative, conceptual and technical proficiency in the visual and design arts and to reinforce professionalism in creative and business practice. The qualification also stimulates among learners, personal growth through practicing analytical, critical, reflective and problem-solving skills. Further to this is the intention of this qualification to develop the learner's world view such that there is a deeper understanding of the role the visual art and design disciplines have in influencing society. The qualification will contribute to the pool of suitably skilled, and creative, art and design graduates in South Africa in the areas of fashion and textile design, fine art, graphic design, photography and hybrid visual arts disciplines is synergistic with the importance placed on the entrepreneurial element of the qualification. A significant aspect of the qualification is the formal engagement to develop a culture of research within the visual and design arts that will contribute to the production of new knowledge and the growth of Postgraduate studies.
This qualification is intended to encourage advanced levels of creative and professional practice in the visual and design arts, whilst simultaneously emphasising academic integrity by building research engagement. The pursuit of best practice in the visual arts disciplines, and the trends in internationally recognised and rated qualifications, suggests a re-alignment of curricula to encompass inter- and transdisciplinary engagement, human-centeredness, and the inclusion of liberal arts content. Accordingly, the Bachelor of Visual Arts Honours acknowledges the existence of the individual disciplinary streams of fashion and textiles, fine art, graphic design and photography, but also develops the possible synergies between them. The qualification acknowledges the growth of hybrid industries within the visual and design arts, where boundaries between the disciplines are blurred, where technological developments spur innovative developments, and where collaborative projects are commonplace, and questions the very narrowly defined parameters and obvious skills needs formerly required of these disciplines. Consequently, it will prepare learners to operate on three levels: Achieve sufficiently advanced knowledge and vocational skills to function in competitive and challenging cultural and industrial environments. Understand the importance of practising entrepreneurship through the development of advanced skills in communication and business practice, and the application of personal initiative and innovation. Apply advanced critical thinking, problem solving and research skills in pursuit of knowledge application.
This page includes information from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) . Builtneat Pty Ltd trading as Study Start, has modified all or some of this information. SAQA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.