By Slivia Nakituuka
Final-year art students showcased their artistic talent and professional readiness during the four-day exhibition that happened from 30th March to 2nd April 2026 in Uganda Christian University’s department of visual arts and design.
The event accounts for marks on the student’s final assessment because they showcase the courses they chose to take on as careers, for example, space design, ceramics, fashion graphics, among others.
“Exhibitions are part of the curriculum, and each course elective had a theme of its own but we focused on the color schemes, space arrangement, and space labelling, among others, because these students are expected to perform well when they go out to an exhibition,” said Josephine Njoki Marete, an instructor in the department of visual arts.
The evolution of art in the digital age was showcased, and students were introduced to modern digital tools, for example, applications, and many get inspired by pictures that they get online,thus creating beautiful art pieces.
Martin Bukenya, a final-year student, created an application called Connected that helps parents track the academic progress of their students from wherever they are.
“This application helps parents follow up on their children’s performance because they can check for the coursework marks and the results of all the semesters the student has been in school. The fees balance is also shown so the parent can know where he/she stands in terms of payment,” said Bukenya.
Art is evolving into the digital world, but the basic skills of art and design have to be taught because people need to understand the color schemes, dimensions, textures, and history, among others. So mixed media of digital art and indigenous art are necessary, but human-centered designs still exist, and we should learn to appreciate human work.
“Marete said that despite the exhibition’s success, challenges such as limited time, a tight academic schedule, and financial limitations affect the preparation of the students, and at times this leads to the production of average works. The department has made an effort to assist students by focusing on simplicity and using fewer materials to minimize costly displays.
“The semester seemed too short, and the presence of other coursework really has been hard to balance these, given that I am also a sports person, so time management has been one of my greatest challenges in the preparation of this exhibition,” said Patricia Alado, a finalist in visual art.
On the last day of the exhibition, the fashion students showcased their outfits on the runway with their models at Janan Luwum dining hall, and they were following two themes including ecosystems and sci-fi. They had to be environmentally friendly in their outfits, so they weremeant to recycle, reduce, and reuse in order to create beautiful pieces.
The department looks forward to hosting more fashion shows to nurture creativity and to prepare students for professional artistic careers. They also encouraged the general public to appreciate and embrace art because this is the only thing that is going to help us connect with nature and called upon them to involve themselves in art events.
