KARACHI: The Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) held its 30th convocation on Saturday and awarded degrees to over 160 students graduated in various disciplines.

The convocation marked a major milestone for the IVS as it celebrated the accomplishments of its 30th graduating batch, said a press release issued here.

This year’s graduating class consisted of 159 undergraduate students as well as three students from the very first batch of the MPhil in Art and Design programme.

Degrees were conferred upon 20 students from Architecture, 17 from Interior Design, 22 from Fine Art, 53 from Communication Design, 23 from Textile Design and 24 from Fashion Design.

To commemorate the occasion, IVS brought back its founding members, the first members of the Board and faculty, and graduates from its very first batch.

In her welcome address, IVS Executive Director and Dean Dr Faiza Mushtaq mentioned the recognition that IVS alumni had been receiving nationally and internationally.

Keynote speeches were delivered by Noorjehan Bilgrami, a renowned visual artist, designer and one of the founders of IVS; and singer Bilal Maqsood, one of IVS’s most celebrated alumni who graduated as part of the first batch of 1994.

Ms Bilgrami recalled the humble yet hopeful beginnings of IVS when a distinguished group of architects, artists and designers came together to found the city’s first institution dedicated to art and design education. She shared how fellow founding member, Shahid Abdulla, discovered the 100-year-old Nusserwanjee Building that was famously relocated to Clifton and rebuilt brick by brick.

Bilal Maqsood reminisced the day of his graduation 30 years ago. He remembered being overwhelmed by emotions of excitement and anxiety as he waited to be awarded his degree. He shared that despite coming from a family of artists he faced resistance when he decided to leave his education in commerce to join an art school — a story many IVS students will relate to.

Maqsood urged students to prepare for both success and failure while remaining true to themselves. He admitted that an artist’s constant reliance on external validation leads to emotional turmoil, but advised students to remain patient and wait for their creative calling.

The convocation was attended by well-wishers of the institution and families of the graduating class.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2023