Ruth Prowse School of Art NPC is a private, non-profit higher education institution in Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa, specialising in fine art and design education. It traces its origins to the Ruth Prowse Art Centre, established in 1970 by South African artist Erik Laubscher, with its first students enrolling in 1971. The school is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Registration Certificate No. 2009/HE08/001), and its three-year diploma programmes are accredited by the Council on Higher Education, with individual qualifications registered with SAQA. As an independent institution, it receives no state educational subsidy and operates on a policy of open admission and non-discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, gender or religion. The school occupies the historical Roodebloem Estate site (dating to 1666) at the top of Birkdale Avenue, 5 Elson Road, Woodstock, Cape Town. Alongside its accredited full-time diploma programmes, it runs part-time, non-credit-bearing short courses in fine art and jewellery, as well as a free Outreach Skills Programme. Its academic staff are described as practising artists and experienced educators active in their respective disciplines.
Qualifications & Programmes
- Diploma in Fine Art — NQF Level 6, 360 credits, 3 years full-time (SAQA ID 49864)
- Diploma in Graphic Design — NQF Level 6, 360 credits, 3 years full-time (SAQA ID 49863)
- Diploma in Jewellery Design — NQF Level 6, 360 credits, 3 years full-time (SAQA ID 83426)
- Outreach Skills Programme (non-credit-bearing, free)
- Part-time short courses (non-credit-bearing), including: Painting – Portraits and Style, Figure Drawing, Printmaking (Monoprints, Tetra Pak Etching), Watercolour Painting, Collage Art, Logo Design, Jewellery Beginners, Jewellery Intermediate, Cuttlefish Pendant Casting, Roll Press Technique