Visiting artists and designers impart skills to students |30 October 2014

As part of activities for the 29th Festival Kreol celebration this year, workshops are being run by renowned artists and designers from the region for students at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).

Renowned artist from Reunion Jean Richard Riani recently conducted a three- day workshop from October 22-24, 2014 at the SVA for students following a full-time programme in Fine Art.

In addition, the institution is also hosting three fashion designers from Rodrigues – Prudence Joseph Marley, Prudence Marie Rose Laine and Henriette Marie Joseline – as part of an exchange programme from October 21-31, 2014.

Such initiatives are a joint venture between the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Tourism and Culture as part of the Festival Kreol activities. In July this year, as part of the International Visiting Artist Programme, one of the staff members of the SVA, Merina Accouche, conducted a three-week workshop in Rodrigues in the area of fashion design.

The Visiting Artist Programme allows students to explore their own practices in a more vigorous manner, meet new people, work and use materials differently, exchange ideas while becoming exposed to new trends in the visual arts.

In addition to that, these kinds of exchanges accentuate the significance of meaningful and multi layered cultural exchange and fascination into different other cultures.

Work produced during the two 2014 Festival Kreol workshops will be featured in the Jeunes Artistes du Monde Creolophone exhibition today and Fon Lanmal fashion show tomorrow.

The SVA is grateful to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for its continuous support, the Ministry of Education for facilitating the process and the National Arts Council of Seychelles for its kind generosity to ensure that the SVA is able to host such activities.