{"id":2622,"date":"2025-07-24T14:17:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T12:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/mandela-month-glow-up-inscape-students-bring-the-heat-to-menlyn-maine\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T14:17:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T12:17:01","slug":"mandela-month-glow-up-inscape-students-bring-the-heat-to-menlyn-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/mandela-month-glow-up-inscape-students-bring-the-heat-to-menlyn-maine\/","title":{"rendered":"Mandela Month Glow-Up: Inscape Students Bring the Heat to Menlyn Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pretoria, July 24, 2025. This July, Menlyn Maine Central Square in Pretoria is alive with the <\/span>Gallery of Giving<\/span><\/i>, a vibrant tribute to Nelson Mandela\u2019s legacy. Inscape Pretoria sparked creativity, with students crafting an engaging Mandela-themed selfie board alongside top South African fashion designers and partners. This project was a total vibe, showcasing how young creatives can use their skills to make a difference and bring some serious energy to the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Levelling Up Creative Skills<\/b><\/h2>\n

At Inscape, creativity isn\u2019t just about making things look good\u2014it\u2019s about solving problems and getting ready for the real world. This project was the perfect chance for students to sharpen their skills while creating something meaningful. Mignon Louw, Inscape\u2019s Head of Marketing, explains, \u201cThis opportunity let students dive into mixed media and storytelling, all tied to community impact.\u201d With no reference images or AI, just pencils, paintbrushes, and pure imagination, students created a selfie board bursting with bold colours, African patterns, and cool string art.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project was a crash course in creative hustle. Jihee Ko, who worked on the selfie board, shares, \u201cWe embraced our differences, using all sorts of techniques. The swirls in Mandela\u2019s hair came from spontaneous brushstrokes, like a group effort in paint.\u201d Masindi Nthangeni got creative with bubble wrap, beads, and wool, boosting skills like spatial design and experimenting with materials. This gig prepped students for the creative industry\u2019s challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 48-hour deadline at Inscape\u2019s Pretoria hub was intense. The high-pressure setting taught students to handle chaos, manage time, and blend their styles into one vision\u2014key for any creative career. \u201cThey nailed technical skills and grew in leadership and empathy,\u201d Mignon says.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Classroom to Career Goals<\/b><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>Gallery of Giving<\/span><\/i> project was a game-changer for future careers, connecting students with pros like Anissa Mpungwe, Craig Jacobs, Isabel de Villiers and Glorinah Mabaso. \u201cWorking alongside these legends for\u00a0 five hours was wild,\u201d says Tshwanelo Masote, \u201cbut it made the experience epic.\u201d Alisha Maluleke was inspired by their realness: \u201cTheir storytelling tips made me think deeper about my designs\u2019 meaning.\u201d Working across photography, video, and design, Alisha levelled up her teamwork and styling, learning to nail visual composition for video shoots.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project also boosted students\u2019 portfolios and networks. \u201cThey were treated like pros, not just students,\u201d Mignon says. Collaborating with industry experts and documenting their work gave students like Tshwanelo something to flex. \u201cThe Mandela portrait\u2019s colours and textures are next-level,\u201d she says. That kind of work, plus the community focus, is gold for future employers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ruth van der Merwe, Inscape\u2019s social media coordinator, captured the event\u2019s energy in photos and videos. \u201cI wanted to show the joy and connection,\u201d she says. Creating engaging social media content on a tight deadline is a necessary skill for digital media careers. \u201cThis project made me appreciate artists\u2019 hustle,\u201d Ruth adds.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Creative Spark<\/b><\/h2>\n

What made the <\/span>Gallery of Giving<\/span><\/i> special? Freedom and purpose. \u201cNo strict rules here,\u201d Mignon says. \u201cIt was all about exploring and dreaming big.\u201d That freedom let students take risks and build confidence. Jihee calls it a \u201cspark\u201d: \u201cIt brought back the joy of creating with no limits.\u201d Masindi found it \u201cexhilarating,\u201d with collaboration sparking fresh ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n

The selfie board captured Mandela\u2019s bold, hopeful spirit. \u201cIt shows his courage and vibe,\u201d Jihee says. The students went for it, as Masindi puts it, using South African colours and a powerful quote: \u201cIt is in your hands to create a better world.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Creativity That Hits Different<\/b><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Gallery of Giving <\/span><\/i>project was a celebration of youth and education, showing design\u2019s power to make an impact. \u201cDesign\u2019s about creating change,\u201d Alisha says. Tshwanelo\u2019s dreams grew after working with top designers: \u201cThey show you can make it if you believe and work hard.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cSeeing this come together was amazing,\u201d Mignon says. It\u2019s what Inscape\u2019s all about: shaping creative trailblazers who are ready to tackle challenges and make a difference. The <\/span>Gallery of Giving<\/span><\/i> proves it\u2014Inscape\u2019s students are creating art that inspires, one bold stroke at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Creative Trailblazers from INSCAPE, Pretoria. Photo: Staff Photographer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Inscape students collaborate with industry experts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Video:<\/strong> Mandela Month Glow-Up: Inscape Students Bring the Heat to Menlyn Maine<\/p>\n

Boilerplate and Editor\u2019s Notes<\/a><\/strong>.
\nMore Info on Mandela Month Glow-Up: Inscape Students Bring the Heat to Menlyn Maine<\/a> here:<\/strong>
\nTwitter<\/strong>: https:\/\/x.com\/supersuejhb<\/a>
\nFacebook<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MyPR<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pretoria, July 24, 2025. This July, Menlyn Maine Central Square in Pretoria is alive with the Gallery of Giving, a vibrant tribute to Nelson Mandela\u2019s legacy. Inscape Pretoria sparked creativity, with students crafting an engaging Mandela-themed selfie board alongside top South African fashion designers and partners. This project was a total vibe, showcasing how young …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic","date":"2025-07-24T12:52:52+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3luplav23cx2x","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3luplav23cx2x\",\"cid\":\"bafyreid4cigdav3eipmpohhlxod7yxmyqasvdkyu5xu2vpupuuhrf4stpu\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreihmgraiwdv3vjzcx5b35hvcscrgi6c64jj7hux5xyjvfy35jag4oa\",\"rev\":\"3luplav2iyh2x\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["type-post","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2622\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}