By Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa, Umoja Standard.
MAKERERE: The exhibitor, Associate Professor Venny Nakazibwe framed her textile design exhibition around the butterfly’s metamorphosis, using it as a metaphor for professional and societal transformation during Thursday’s opening at Makerere University.
“Today is a special day. It’s a day that we are not going to be just looking at the exhibition, but also we are going to focus on the aspect of transformation,” Prof. Nakazibwe told guests, including Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof. Henry Alinaitwe. “The main inspiration for this exhibition is the butterfly. From the chrysalis to the butterfly… it really tells us about the concept of life. We continue in life and then transform into professionals that we are.”
She said textile designers influence the world through visual language, color, pattern, and technology. “As the world is transforming, there are certain things that we must adapt to very quickly, and technology is one of them,” she noted, citing Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator as tools textile designers can adapt to “generate wonders.”
Highlighting her students in Computer Aided Textile Design, Prof. Nakazibwe said they are “ready to be able to go to the field” and urged government to tap existing skilled graduates. “Maybe what the government needs to know is that we have already skilled people who can now be able to immediately make a difference in the industry,” she said.
She appealed for upgraded computer labs, arguing Makerere can lead in championing creative industries. “These computer labs are going to be very, very helpful for us and for our students to be able to make that difference that we all yearn for, not only for the university, but for the country at large.”
Prof. Nakazibwe also thanked colleagues, students, and family, stressing collaboration: “When you get the support of the colleagues, then you can do a lot more. You can even create wonders where there is no opportunity.”
Officiating the Exhibition, Professor Henry Alinaitwe, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at Makerere University, praised the transformative power of art during a textile design exhibition on campus, saying the showcased work on butterflies demonstrates untapped potential across other natural themes.
“I think this shows us that you can do quite a lot. Here you’ve just explored one aspect to do with butterflies. But now what if we go to other areas? You’ve talked about flies and snails. I’m sure we can extract a lot of stuff there, which is very informative,” Prof. Alinaitwe.
A former fine art student before moving into engineering, mathematics, and physics, Prof. Alinaitwe described art as therapeutic for non-specialists. “When you look at art, to us the lay people, it is like a therapy. You feel nice. You feel relieved. I’m sure even in hospitals they encourage putting something somewhere to be able to heal certain categories of people. So the beauty is the therapy,” he noted.
He commended the lead exhibitor, Professor Venny, for her impact across the college. “You’ve taught basically everybody in this school, including some of the senior people. As a college, we are very proud of you. As a university, definitely we are proud. We should keep supporting people like you to advance,” he said, adding that the works were “very handsome, very nice, very beautiful” and marketable if printed and rolled for sale.
Prof. Alinaitwe urged continued innovation to extend the university’s impact nationwide. “We pray that God gives you strength and vision to come up with new ideas. You articulate them, you have exhibitions like this and other avenues of publication so that you are able to have impact, not just here at Makerere, but the whole country,” he said.
He thanked the exhibitor for the inspiration to students and staff: “What you have done will not just stop here. The students are listening. They are learning. The junior staff are here. Even the senior staff still learn from this, so that we are able to move the university agenda forward”
Speaking on behalf of Principal Prof. Moses Musinguzi, Deputy Principal Assoc. Prof. Kizito Maria Kasule said the showcase was long overdue. “Today we are here to witness an exhibition, which in my opinion, we have taken so long to have an exhibition of this nature, an exhibition of this strength in Makerere University,” he noted, lamenting a “steady decline in studio practice” across many art and design institutions.
Prof. Kasule warned against abandoning hands-on work for purely theoretical studies, recalling an incident in Breda, Netherlands, where an artist’s performance piece involved undressing and defecating in a museum. “Some years ago, in the Western world, universities abandoned studio practice and went into theoretical studies. And as a consequence of that, everything became art… The question is, really was that an artwork? Is that where we want to take art?”
He said Makerere’s renowned collection south of the Sahara was built on studio practice: “We need to keep that tradition. Dr. Venny, thank you so much. You have resurrected the studio practice.”
While acknowledging technology’s role, he urged balance. “Using digital technology, we can mass produce, but producing work by hand, we are able to keep the real aesthetics as they are supposed to be.”
Praising the exhibitor’s focus on a single motif, he added: “When you look at the way she has critically analyzed the visual image of the butterfly… you realize that she has taken her time, that she enjoys what she’s doing.”
Prof. Kasule congratulated Dr. Venny on both the exhibition and her recent promotion: “Through this work, we are seeing a new professor professing the profession for which she has been promoted.”
The exhibition showcased how art, technology, and studio practice intersect to drive transformation. Prof. Nakazibwe’s butterfly-inspired work showcased creativity’s societal impact, while university administration praised her innovation and called for sustained support. It underscored Makerere’s role in advancing creative industries through skilled graduates, digital tools, and a renewed commitment to hands-on artistic excellence nationwide.
