About us

Mission Statement

"To provide a caring and nurturing learning environment, within which we create and deliver educational programmes in visual arts and design, to develop students’ individual voices and talents leading to employment or self-employment opportunities."

Values

Inclusivity and Non-Discrimination: We are committed to providing a diverse, enriching education environment for all students.
Excellent outcomes: We develop visual literacy, exceptional practical portfolios, and solid theoretical and research skills to consolidate skills and knowledge into a comprehensive body of work.
Individualized Attention: We offer small class sizes from teachers and practicing artists for personalised attention.
Creativity and Original Thought: We balance tradition and innovation in visual communication, motivating original thought, creativity, and aesthetics and guiding the development of individual expression.
Preparing for the future: We develop vocational and entrepreneurial skills to prepare our students for meaningful careers.

Ruth Prowse School of Art NPC offers an exciting range of programmes and courses:

Full-time registered and accredited programmes
Part-time extra-curricular courses (non-credit bearing)
The Outreach Skills Programme (non-credit bearing)

The Ruth Prowse Art Centre was founded in 1970 by the renowned artist, Erik Laubscher which then became the Ruth Prowse School of Art NPC. RPSA opened its doors to the first students in 1971.

Non-discrimination Clause

Ruth Prowse School of Art NPC admits students of any race, colour, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programmes, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programmes and loan programmes, and athletic and other school administered programs.

For the purposes of statistical requirements for the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Council for Higher Education, South African students are requested to categorise themselves according to the following: African (Black African); Indian; Coloured; Asian; White.

Staff Members

Click here to view the staff Organogram.

The academic Staff of Ruth Prowse School of Art NPC form a dynamic team who are specialists in their fields and experienced educators. All the lecturers are encouraged to be practising in their respective fields so that they are aware of all the latest cutting edge trends. Part-Time lecturers add to the rich diversity and expertise. Guest lecturers provide additional insight into the creative industries.

Our Staff

Registration and Accreditation

Registered with the Department of Education as a private Higher Education Institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997, Registration Certificate No. 2009/HE08/001

The three-year Diploma Courses are accredited with the Council for Higher Education

Current Donors

The School gratefully thanks the following for the generous support for 2026

Brendalyn and Ernest Stempel Foundation
St Leger Lindbergh Trust
The South African Society of Artists (SASA)
SAIFM Art Collaborative
The Click Foundation
DRD Gold
Finegold

Financial Assistance Programme

Click here to download the RPSA NPC Financial Assistance Form.

As Ruth Prowse School of Art NPC is committed to offering higher education for the wider community, a Financial Assistance program is in place. It is the mission of the school to redress the educational imbalances of the past by nurturing young talent for the future who do not have the resources. As the School is a non-governmental body that receives no educational support from NSFAS, the number of students that have the opportunity to access the scholarship fund is dependent on the generosity of our donors.

The financial support provides for full, substantive or partial tuition fees, materials and transport for deserving students of academic merit in financial need and for deserving students from historically disadvantaged communities. Students need to re-apply annually for each academic year.

Application forms can be e-mailed or can be downloaded.

FUNDRAISING PITCH PACK

Get Involved

Ruth Prowse School of Art is committed to being an integral part of the wider community and fostering a range of creative expression and has full-time Diploma programmes, an extensive part-time programme and an innovative and expanding Outreach Skills program to serve the wider community and to redress the educational imbalances of the past.

Documents

Download study guides, timetables, policy documents and our Pitch Pack for fundraising support.