Monday 14 July 2014

Society of Nigerian Artists celebrates 50 years of aesthetic creativity *Reveals her achievements, challenges and future plans



ADA DIKE
L-R: Former President, Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) (1996-2001), Dr. Funke Ifeta; Chairman of the convention, Dr. Kolade Oshinowo;  Past President, SNA, Uwa Usen and Keynote Speaker, Professor Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, during the 3rd international convention on art and development titled: ‘the Role of Art in National Development’, held at NIIA Victoria Island in Lagos...yesterday. Photo: Bankole Damilare
50 years in the life a man is an age of maturity. Similarly, if an organization clocks 50 years, the celebration should be grand, fun-filled and extraordinary. It is on this note that members of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) rolled out drums and celebrated the society’s 50th anniversary a couple of days ago.
The event, which kicked off on July 7, 2014 began with Exhibition Preview followed by opening of the exhibition of which began on July 8, 2014 and will end on August2, 2014 at Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos.
With the theme: “The Role of Art in National Development,” SNA’s third convention featured a two-day conference that took place on July 7, and 8, 2014, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos. SNA stakeholders at the convention, evaluated Nigeria’s 100 years of existence through the performance of the visual art sector and the engine of technological growth of any nation. Also, they explored the role of the arts in causing desirable changes in society while enabling practitioners compared favourably with their colleagues in other sector of the economy.
In his remarks, the President of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Mr. Oliver Enwonwu, said the 50th Anniversary of the Society of Nigerian Artists coincides with an important period in the global appreciation of modern and contemporary African art.
These global shifts, according to him, have been marked with increasing prices for art from the continent on the domestic and international art markets, the inclusion of African artists at seminal exhibitions and art fairs and most importantly the inclusion of African art and artists in contemporary discourse.
He hinted that the SNA commenced its 50th Anniversary celebration last year with an educational-based initiative, “the National Abuja Children Art Workshop,” sponsored by Mobil Nigeria Ltd. “It aimed to lay a strong foundation for the development of contemporary Nigeria art by encouraging children in over twenty primary and junior secondary schools, to develop their creatively while sharing their experiences and ideas on issues affecting their environment.”
On why the third International Convention on Art and Development (CONADEV 2014) was held in Lagos, the director, Omenka Gallery and founder/editor of Omenka magazine, said the event would have taken place in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, but security was a major reason they held it in Lagos.
He shared the history of SNA and revealed that: “In 1964, our founding fathers’ objective was to create a new visual language that merged indigenous traditions with Western techniques. 50 years on, you will agree with us that the events marking this special occasion underscore the SNA’s role in determining the direction and development of Nigeria art, while highlighting art’s contribution to shaping society.”
He expressed profound gratitude to SNA’s members and the event’s main sponsors comprising Dana Air, MUSON Centre, the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Olaniwun Ajayi LP, CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company and Mobil Nigeria Ltd without which the event would not be possible. “There is a labour of love and underscores the importance of public and private sector partnership in the promotion and preservation of our rich cultural heritage.”
Enwonwu however, highlighted myriads of challenges facing SNA:  “In Nigeria, there still remains poor government funding for the visual arts including numerous endowment funds that are given lip service, a problematic and outdated art curriculum, the absence of a befitting National Gallery of Art to house our rich cultural  heritage, the non-deployment of works by Nigerian artisst as embellishment for public building, and not to mention, the absurdity of a white paper that merges the National Gallery of Art with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments!”
Concerning the on-going exhibition, he said: “The exhibition features the work of over 70 of the most exciting contemporary Nigerian artists, exploring new themes and visual vocabularies in their work. It is the first in a series of shows to provoke contemporary discourse, encourage increased engagement with topical issues, as well as the development of new techniques and the incorporation of new material around these traditional media, which features prominently on the Nigerian contemporary art scene,” Enwonwu added.
Looking into the future, he itemized some of the SNA’s future plans. “In keeping with the momentum gained from these events, more regular workshops, roundtables and exhibitions centred in different media like video and photography will be held across the country. Indeed, immediately after this convention there will be a call for papers and entries for the conference and exhibition to take place in Lagos in March 2015.”
The keynote speaker, Razak Rom Kalilu, a Professor from the Department of Art and History, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, in his topic: “Development Challenges of 21st Century Nigeria and the Visual Arts Sector, in a nutshell, said, visual arts had its travails and triumphs but had no doubt made significant contributions to national development. “The engagements of the visual arts in the previous national development and rolling plans and the challenges and the opportunities offered by The Transformation Agenda sets the background for the present and future contributions of visual Arts sector to Nigeria’s development.”

Presenting the lead paper, Professor Frank Ugiomoh from the Department of Art and Applied Design, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Port Harcourt, in his topic, “Reconceptualising the Value of Art in a Developing Economy,” said through the ages, the work of art has remained an indicator of the progress of civilization, yet the work of art remains one of the least valued engagements of human industry.
In his words: “The work of art defines who we are. It also points us to where we look forwards to. This complex nature of art, considering the fortunes and misfortunes of the object of art has been subjected to and among various cultures, will always require that artists do more than they have always done to find a comfortable place for art in human consciousness. It is not as if the above need for art has ever been abandoned by artists, critics, historians, philosophers, sociologists and so on,” Ugiomoh said.
He notes that, “art has remained a subject of great despise as much as the artist has been in many climes. Many conceive of the artist as one who is extraordinary in his or her personality and endowments. The artist is not one with his or her fellow humans; the artist is simply seen as one who lives in his own world and not in sync with anyone. But do we have cause to blame the rest of humanity? The Marxist critic tells us that early works of art stood out distinctly as magical objects in human societies. This exalted position of the artist and art was borne out of the fact that the usefulness of the work of art in the community made the work of art and its maker an enigma. What nature could not offer a mere object of human hands accomplishes for the human. Thus the work of art and its maker become awesome,” Ugiomoh said.
Ugiomoh stressed the importance of taking art to its proper place. “Lansing stresses the need to reposition art in the consciousness of the general populace. His advocacy is hinged on the need to demonstrate, as the need arises always, the value of art for the individual and society. As he puts it “Since the time of Plato, scholars have attempted to explain its merit in philosophical terms, but their explanation have been difficult for most persons outside philosophy to understand. As a result, many people do not accept art as an important element in their lives or in the general education of their children. If they permit it to be taught in public schools, they allow it to play no more than a minor and relatively unimportant educational role.”
“The above observation, though defined for the United States of America over almost half a century now is akin to what the general education of the Nigerian child is confronting today. Equally we ought to notice that the tribe of art appreciators and connoisseurs is less than one percent in Nigeria. This realization goes in recognition of the fact that the teaching of art in the curriculum almost debuted with the introduction of formal education in the 19th centuries in Nigeria.
How to turn the table around evidently is the reason for this initiative of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA).
Ugiomoh also argued that the work of art is the human’s perception of the world, as it is also the remnant of humanity as often as cultures and civilizations continue to undergo renewal. “Art transforms time in its fleeting and relentless flow symbols that come to outlive the time they were enacted. Art remains, as a matter of fact, an inestimable record of human history and of human perception of self, its nature and the inter-subjective relationship. It elicits are such that it binds humanity together. Art is one human engagement that engenders knowledge of self and of others. As a universal language it is a facilitator of knowledge in the general sense of the word.
“Where this is the case the context and polemic that trail the education of artists in Nigeria remains a source of worry. This is not only for me, but to well meaning artists and educationists. More importantly the Society of Nigerian Artists should be saddled with this worry. Institution train men and women with potentials top become artist in Nigeria who eventually practice their trade under the umbrella of the Society of Nigeria Artists (SNA). The SNA therefore, should be at the forefront in making sure that its potential members are properly trained. The SNA should be part of the definition of the standards for the education of the artist. In its more than fifty years of existence its influence in directing the education of its members remains non-existent. The SNA probably live with the assumption that its members are also the teacher in educational institutions.
“Considering the value of art, the education of the artist requires guided intervention from the SNA. Art education is expected to hike the awareness and practice of the creative arts. This has not been the case in recent times. Rather, accomplished creative output in recent history has been waning.”
He further said that in spite of the perceptions in the United Kingdom and the Americas, it is important to note that they make provision for professional artists to teach in their institutions. “The initiative allows for the students to gain experience from professional and anticipate being professionals also. It is important that the artist trained in Nigeria. Considering the value of art to culture and the developmental aspiration of Nigeria, should be given the right professional training.”
As expected, the convention attracted visual art icons, including: renowned Professor and polymath artist, the keynote speaker, Prof. Razak Rom Kalilu, Prof John Ogene from the Department of Art and Applied Arts, University of Benin, Edo State, Past President, SNA, Uwa Usen, Dr. Funke Ifeta from Department of Creative Arts, Tai Solarin Unversity of Education, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Dr. Kunle Filani from Federal College of Education, Akoka, Lagos, Past President of SNA; Dr. Kolade Oshinowo, artwork collector and founder of Omooba Yemisi
Shyllon Art Foundation, (OYASAF); Prince Yimisi Shyllon, former minister of National Planning and chairman, Petroleum Product Pricing and Regulatory Agency; Chief Rasheed Abiodun Gbadamosi, among others.
Despite the fact that Art is visual art depicts aesthetic and finesse, it is appreciated mostly by mature minds in Nigeria, it is shocking to see that a lot of people did not turn up for the SNA’s 50th anniversary celebration. One expected the hall to be filled to the brim but only few dedicated members of the group comprising sculptors, painters, critics and those in the academia. Representatives from the federal and state government were missing in the international convention. This, according to a critic who craved anonymity, shows that Nigerian government (including federal, state and local governments) do not support visual artists. “If it were a programme organized by the tourism or entertainment industry (Nollywood), people will attend or send representative to all the events.”
Also, an award and fundraising dinner held on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, at the Shell Hall MUSON Centre, Lagos featured the induction of new members, cultural performances, an auction, the award of prizes and fellowships to outstanding artists, individuals and corporate, who have contributed towards the development of art in Nigeria. The gathering also provided an atmosphere for social interaction between the artists and other professionals.
The founder, executive director and trustee of The Ben Enwonwu Foundation hinted that: “Funds raised from the event would aid the execution of the SNA’s major projects which include the publishing of its four quarterly academic journals and provision of a well-equipped secretariat with a gallery, library and studio space for artists.”



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