Cota’s ‘Project Week’ Takes Art Outside

It’s been a week of plastic sculpting, mosaic making, painting and pizza boxes as the diploma students and lecturers of the Department of Visual Art at the College of the Arts (Cota) launched their very first ‘Project Week’.

A communal art project held between 2 and 8 August at Katutura Community Arts Centre (KCAC) campus resulted in two murals, two public sculptures, a wall mosaic, a welding project and a pizza box exhibition amongst other exciting initiatives.

“’Project Week’ was conceived by lecturers as a way of getting our students and their products out into the community. Art schools exist mostly in wonderful ivory towers where we all love art, like to understand it and encourage each other all the time. But that can really miss the point of communicating and having good ideas,” says Cota’s Nicky Marais.

“Doing projects outside the studio, even if it is still on campus, forces interactions with non-artists. It’s always a good thing for students to get some experience in the planning and executing of a project for something other than marks. ‘Project Week’ also gave the students a chance to work collaboratively with lecturers which breaks down the very damaging relationship between the one who tells you what and how to do something and the one doing the work.”

Introduced to interested art parties through ‘Project Drive-Around’, a roaming mini bus tour that began at the KCAC and had its last stop in Klein Windhoek, the tour presented a novel way to view a public art collection much of which will be on display for years to come.

Welcoming patrons to this inaugural tour was a glistening eland. A creature of plastic bottles and tops created by Sammy Kamati, Filipus Sheehama and their students. With this majestic triumph of recycling winking in the sun as visitors made their way to view a new range of craft jewellery made by Robert Hidishange and his students, the tour proceeded on foot in the grounds of the KCAC where patrons marvelled at the potential of makalani seeds or ‘vegetable ivory’ in the creation of necklaces.

Equally arresting was a brand new mosaic mural by Kim Modise and his students who are in attendance to take their place adjacent an art piece that speaks of pulling in the same direction.

Past the mosaic, into the midday traffic and swiftly on towards the Namibian Planned Parenthood Association (NPPA) youth clinic in Okuranyagava, the minibus tour began in earnest before depositing tourists astride a lively DJ marquee at the NPPA entryway.

Just as lively is a social media savvy mural where Nicky and her students make use of various walls to promote safe sex and stable homes.

Also concerned with safety are the ‘Project Week’ murals at Van Rhyn Primary School in Windhoek North which depict pupils crossing the road at designated pedestrian crossings, making use of seatbelts as well as parents escorting their children to the front of the school building.

Colourful, creative and with an admirable attention to detail, the Van Rhyn Primary School murals are a vibrant addition to the school complex by Papa Shikongeni and his students.

From Windhoek North to central Windhoek and the guests alighted at the Theatre School where John Nampala and his students presented innovative moulds before allowing visitors to peek into their ceramics studio.

Last but not least was Darina’s Pizzeria in Klein Windhoek’s Hidas Centre where an exhibition titled ‘Boxed Issues’ currently adorns the striped walls in contemplation of poverty, malnutrition, gendered violence and the water crisis.

Created by Darina Zheynova and her students, ‘Boxed Issues’ concluded a tour and a ‘Project Week’ which will endure as welcome additions to a public art sphere with many more walls and corridors with the potential for permitted painting.

“Public art gives students and lecturers a chance to test their ideas through interaction with non-artists, and it gives the public a chance to see art outside of gallery spaces,” says Nicky.

“Great conversations always ensue.”

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