With a naming sponsorship from Sharp Electronics, the 1978 Sharp Festival of the Arts was able to recapture some of its earlier ambition. The Fine Arts took a front seat, as one of the Monument Building’s primary functions – as an exhibition space – was able to be fully realised for the first time. Curated by Linda Goodman of the Goodman Gallery, the Monument’s galleries were officially launched with an exhibition that featured the likes of Leonard Matsoso, Cecil Skotnes, Andrew Verster and Raymond van Niekerk. The Rehearsal Room – still a popular venue today –housed lectures delivered by Cecil Skotnes and Judith Mason, with the Festival aiming to highlight what the Fine Arts had achieved in South Africa to date, what challenges they faced, and what the future might hold.

The live and cinematic arts were not forgotten. The programme featured an immensely well supported Student Theatre Festival, as well as another Film Festival and a Winter Music School. Also on offer were An Evening with Leslie French, a renowned British actor specialising in Shakespearean theatre, and the Soul Jazz Men, a popular and acclaimed South African Jazz outfit.