All About Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts

All About Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts

Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts ( BIFA) was established in 1993 under the management of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Buruburu. It provides an ideal development opportunity in the world of Art and Design. The institute is widely known for its matchless certificate and diploma courses in art and design.

The church-run institution was established in 1990 to accommodate youths in the neighborhood who had not secured requisite marks to join universities after completion of secondary education. The college has grown by leaps and bounds and now trains students from across and outside the country in product design, drawing and painting, fashion, graphics design, interior design, fabric decoration, and sculpture.

Minimum entry requirements for diploma courses are C-minus at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) or above, and a D for certificate courses.

Various design courses

The college also offers short-term studies in other sub-disciplines of art and design, such as ceramics, tie and die, screen printing, technical drawing, floral arrangement and event management, motif generation, curtain making, and graffiti arts.

The short course programmes run between a year and a month. They are offered on full and part time modes of study to also accommodate working individuals.

To complete study at BIFA, one must be prepared to come up with an original artwork, which will be examined at the end of the course work.

For practical work, the college has a workshop and a photography studio that students use for their studies.

Sculptures, paintings, posters, wall hangings, and interior design house models are all stored at the Thomas Burke Gallery at the institution.

Students at BIFA also exhibit their art works at various public exhibitions in the country. At the same time, the students sell their products to potential clients.

Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts

Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts

More course offerings

BIFA’s IT department offers certificate courses in electronic and desktop publishing, computer graphics, web design, database management, hardware support and maintenance. BIFA plans to expand its range of studies to include diploma and certificate courses in theatre arts, media arts, and journalism.

MISSION
To effectively train in order to develop God given creativity and Innovation.

DESCRIPTION
Tertiary training centre for art and design

GENERAL INFORMATION
We are located in Buruburu Phase III, opposite the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and Thomas Burke Primary school.

Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts Courses Offered

What is Art and design?

Art:

It is the human ability to make forms creatively and skillfully for aesthetic and utilitarian purposes. It is concerned with the development of visual perception and aesthetic experiences for the purposes of expressing ones ideas, experiences, emotions and feelings.

Design:

This is a problem solving process that involves planning, sketching and outlining concepts to work from or to finish as complete works of utilitarian and aesthetic value.

COMMON UNITS

  • Entrepreneurship Education
  • Social Studies
  • Computer Applications
  • Communication Skills
  • Visual Communications
  • Art & Design
  • Drawing
  • Typography

COURSES OFFERED UNDER ART & DESIGN

FABRIC DECORATION

This is a course that introduces the students to the various fabric decoration techniques, either in the fabric formation stage in weaving and knitting or during textiles finishing through coloration processes. Experts in this field are in great demand in the fashion and interior design industries.

Career opportunities in the Kenyan market include:- Practitioners, Textile Designers for Interior and Fashion firms, Public Art Practitioners, Textile Conservationists and Curators, Art Educators and Teachers, Fashion Buyers and Retailers, Gallery Directors, Props Masters, Set Dressers, Fashion Accessory Designers, etc.

SCULPTURE DEPARTMENT

Sculpture is a form of three-dimensional expression using a variety of material. Traditional, sculpture has been associated with curving or shaping wood or stone. However, this definition is rather narrow as there are numerous techniques and methods that can be used to create three dimensional artworks eg,

-Artifactual Sculpture

– Architectural Sculpture

-Multi-media Crafts

– Draughtsmanship

Careers in sculpture include:

Full time sculptor, Teaching, White Collar professions, Gallery directors, Critics, Museum directors, Curator, Artist agents, Fabricators, Restorers, Set Designers, Furniture Designers, foundry artists, model maker, Crafts Consultants, Wood craftsperson, etc.

MULTI-MEDIA CRAFTS

Multi-media crafts is a course that encompasses all other areas of fine art requiring the use of many materials, using special skills to make artifacts by hand.

Units include:-

  1. Mosaic making
  2. Collage Making
  3. Jewelry and Ornamentation
  4. Weaving and Leather work
  5. Laboratory Techniques

Careers options: Given the diversity of skills acquired during the course, the multi-media artist becomes open to many career choices, depending on the individual’s interest. These include:

Gallery Assistant/Administrator, Self-employed Craftsperson, Fashion Accessory Designer, Interior Decorator, Fabric Designer, Crafts Consultant, Art & Craft Teacher, Handloom Weaver, Ceramist, etc

FASHION DESIGN

A nation requires creative fashion designers to keep pace with the needs of an ever changing fashion conscious society. The intensive course at BIFA ensures that a steady supply of top class fashion designers is ready for the market every year.

Units in fashion:

  1. Clothing Construction Theory
  2. Fashion Sketching and Designing
  3. Pattern Drafting and Cutting
  4. Clothing Construction Practical
  5. Fashion Crafts and Accessories
  6. Textile Science/ Fabric Decoration

INTERIOR DESIGN

This is the art and science of making rooms and other indoor areas attractive, comfortable and useful. Carpeting, Draperies, furniture, lighting, paint, wall covering and many other items may contribute to interior decorations. The care selection of each item to suit the purpose of a specific area and the overall mood desired is the goal of interior designers.

Units in Interior design:

  • Interior Architecture
  • Furniture Design
  • Exhibition and Display
  • Landscaping Design
  • Soft FurnishingCareer Opportunities include: Space Planners, Kitchen Designer, Furniture Designer, Home Lighting Consultant, Upholstery Consultant, Interior Decorator, Commercial Interior Designer, Contract Designer, Display Designer, Indoor Plant Designer, landscape Designer.GRAPHIC DESIGNGraphic Design is an activity, which involves conceiving and translating ideas into visual forms and creating a composition by arranging letters and images (layout) on a surface for communication purposes.Units in Graphics:
  • Publication Design
  • Advertising Design
  • Packaging Design
  • Corporate Identity Design
  • Illustration and Model Making
  • Printing Technology
  • TypographyCareer Prospects: Creative (directors, copywriters, cartoonists, typographers, package designers, Industrial designers, automobile designers, photographers, calligraphers, layout artists), Account Services, Media, Production, Research, Public relations.DRAWING AND PAINTINGPainting is a means through which the artist expresses moods and feelings using wet pigments such as oils and acrylics on surfaces like canvas or board. The course introduces the students to basic color mixing (color Theory) and studio based workshops on tools, accessories, techniques and themes in painting. The painting course provides avenues for experimental art such as mixed media painting or collage. This course is complemented by units (subjects) in art criticism and painting history where the artist gains skills and knowledge in analyzing painting styles e.g., abstract art and cubism plus the documentation of artwork.Drawing

    Just like painting, drawing is a means of expressing emotions using both wet and dry media such as chalk, charcoal, pastel, colored pencil and ink. The student is introduced to themes such as portraiture, figure drawing’s still life and landscape. The drawing unit emphasizes on extensive exercises on techniques of rendering compositions such as hatching and cross-hatching. Students also experiment in mixed media drawing such as pen and ink or chalk and charcoal on appropriate surfaces.

    Career options in Drawing and Painting

    On completion of the course, students can work as permanent or freelance illustrators in publishing companies e.g. Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB). One can be a studio artist creating artwork for sale in commercial galleries. Some students have developed their specialization into Kitchen Artists, working in five Star Hotels.

    The artist can work as a curator or exhibition Designer in museums and galleries. One also be an Art Tutor or Instructor working in formal institutions or community projects organized by NGO’s. The artist can extend his/her drawing skills into Animation working as a concept artist.

Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts – Contacts

College Name: Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts

County: Nairobi County

Physical Address: Buruburu Phase Ill, Off Mumias Road

Postal Address:  P.O. Box 48370, Nairobi, 00100

Telephone: 020-788071, 780107,

Mobile: 0721-837917

E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]

Website: