In his formation as a Professional Artist,
Muwonge produced three research
dissertations, all archived at Makerere
University Library: Mat Weaving in Buganda
(1985), A studio study of Incorporating
Uganda’s social and cultural forms into the
art of stained glass (1998) and Challenges
of Marketing Capabilities and the Visual
Arts Consumption in Uganda: A Kampala
District Case (2001). These researches
served as a foundational academic
cornerstone for
Muwonge’s subsequent four decades
of dual practice as both an educator at
Makerere University, a practicing studio
artist in painting on canvas and stained
glass architecture.
A primary touchstone of this research was at St. James Catholic Church in Bbiina. Here, Muwonge reinterpreted the traditional Catholic Mysteries of the Rosary, translating classical iconography into indigenous Ugandan socio-cultural motifs and visual idioms. Simultaneously, his secular glass investigations exhibited at the Makerere Art Gallery, archived within the Makerere University collections and the Nsambya Glass Workshop-demonstrated the medium’s capacity to engage public space beyond church walls.
