Gift Kocieleng has been accepted to California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and is seeking tuition funding.
South African fashion and theatre designer Gift Kgosieleng has been accepted into the prestigious California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in the US, but is short about R700,000 for tuition fees.
The designer, who hails from Upington in the Northern Cape, enrolled in the design school's BFA Production Experience/Scene and Costume Design course three years ago.
“Before that, I had to be very prepared for it. I gave up alcohol. Raising R1 million was not child's play so I literally started concentrating on it. I got a deferral from this year,” Gosieleng said. The Citizen.
“For the last eight or nine months since last year I've been fundraising, so the National Arts Council has supported me and I'm still fundraising and have four weeks to start the course,” he said.
former Project Runway SA Contestants are also selling ponchos they made to raise funds.
Carefully Selected Courses
Given his unique background, Cal Arts designed an equally unique course for Kgosierileng.
“Based on my background and portfolio, they are preparing a special course to suit my specific needs. My admission started last week. I have four weeks to get to the US. After that, if I need to postpone and am unable to pay the money in time, I will be able to start in February,” he said.
The Northern Cape and provincial governments have already donated R50,000 to his cause, and he is also lobbying the provincial and national departments of sport, arts and culture.
“They [provincial government] He promised to help me, so I called. [and] Eventually my calls were ignored and I went to see the local government in Upington and they said they had no budget. Then the Premier heard me and donated R50,000, which is still in my savings account and will probably go towards the flight.”
“I've spoken to people in the central government and the JA, but everyone says there's no money.”
The Kgosierileng course was accepted into the BFA Production Experience/Scene & Costume Design.
“It’s a four-year undergraduate program, but because of the nature of the type of student I am – someone with industry experience – I don’t have the kind of undergraduate program that would tell me to go on to graduate school, so they’re creating a syllabus for me.”
Gosieleng said Cal ARTS is not a very academic school: “From day one, you'll be working on real-life projects, whether that be film, animation or dance.”
“My goal is to be a home for Indigenous footage and film. I want to specialize in making films like Shaka Zulu that are fantasy but very African. Think Tyler Perry telling African stories from a fantasy perspective. For the film, I will don the costumes myself and shoot the scenes, rather than getting an American costume designer to design the costumes.”
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Giving back
Upon completion, you will receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage and Costume Design and gain production experience.
Throughout May, Kosieleng will be hosting workshops for young creatives in Johannesburg, with the aim of showing the government what they can give back once they have gained knowledge.
“It was for five weeks. It wasn't necessarily qualified people who were called up, it was generally unemployed young people between 18 and 40 years old.”
The 16 students he accepted for his workshop were fashion enthusiasts, people who already ran their own businesses and those interested in creative entrepreneurship.
“This is a collaboration with American Makers. I asked them to at least buy the students a toolbox. This kit is a toolbox with needles and sewing supplies.”
One of the students now works as a seamstress in Kgosieleng.
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Youth Development
The 36-year-old has worked in youth development in his hometown for years and said he is passionate about the job.
“I went to the workshop. I've worked closely with the local council since my 20s and I'm passionate about nurturing local creatives in the village, and Upington in particular. Now that the work I've been doing has reached a national level, I decided to take part in the five-week workshop programme to at least show that this is what I'm trying to do.”
Gosieleng hopes to sign letters of commitment with potential donors.
“Look, if you can fund my studies for four years, you can own me for four years. Every time I come, whatever the CSI budget is, I'm happy to take it and I'll organise a workshop and deliver that workshop every time I come to South Africa.”
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