Nigerian Music Nigeria – How Exhibitions Make Successful Artists

Source: Ovwe Medeme, Allafrica,com, Jan 19, 2010

Stella Awoh, an Art lecturer at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) is the coordinator of the Society of Nigerian Female Artists (SNFA), Lagos chapter as well as the Vice Chairman of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Lagos chapter. In this interview with REPORTER, Ovwe Medeme, Awoh talks on the importance of exhibitions to artists’ career, the need for artists to diversify and on ways of tackling the rising cost of art materials. Excerpts:

What are the goals of the Society of Nigerian Female Artists (SNFA)?

Being a coordinator, my job is to bring female artists together, while giving them an opportunity to rub minds together and speak with one voice. We have the body called the Society of Nigerian Female Artists.

What challenges do women face in the art world?

Female artists face a lot of challenges. We discover that female artists that were doing well before they get married no longer perform as before. It becomes difficult for them to combine their profession with being a wife and a mother. We have so many female artists that started off well, but along the line, their career dropped. We want to break that jinx. That is why I am happy to be the coordinator for female artists. I am trying to teach them to pursue their profession. The Proverbs 31 woman was a total woman. She had her profession. She was a woman of all trades and master of all. The fact that women are married does not mean they can no longer become artists. They should be able to carry both (work and home) along. We teach them how to plan their lives, how to coordinate, how to organise and even how to employ their staff. It is all about management. Above all, we help them maintain their passion for art. As female artists, we can delve into other professions, but those from other fields cannot study to become artists, they were not created with the talent.

What programmes do you have for the year?

Hopefully, this year we will have an exhibition of all female artists in Lagos. We will not limit it to Lagos as we will invite other female artists. We will use it to mark our 50th anniversary as a nation. Right now, I am encouraging them to attend workshops and trainings.

When did your art career actually start?

My parents realised I would be an artist, according to them, when I was nine years old. I was to study Law in the higher institution, but my father discouraged me and asked me to do what I was best at. At the age of nine, they discovered that when other children were playing, I would be busy moulding or drawing objects on the floor. They discovered my talent and encouraged me to go into art school. I knew I was creative and I could do things with my hands, but I didn’t see it from a professional angle until my parents drew my attention to it. I read Fashion but coming into YABATECH to study Fashion is like going to study Pure Art, because for the first two years we do purely art courses. Even at that, the Fashion we offer at YABATECH is not the same as what you get in fashion schools. That is why whoever studies here ends up becoming versatile.

As an artist, what was the biggest exhibition that you had staged?

I had one three years ago. My exhibition was titled Hibernation and Rejuvenation. I chose the title after launching my book. I lost my husband some years back, so I wrote a book title From Grief To Grace. Because God gave me the grace, I went into hibernation and then I rejuvenated. When I went into hibernation, it was a period of sober reflection for me. It was a period I had to seek the face of God. I went back to the drawing board to ask God to show me the way forward. It wasn’t easy for me to go into hibernation. By God’s grace, I was able to rejuvenate. It is not easy for one to be a widow particularly from the part of the country where I come. A lot of people that were all over me before I lost my husband disappeared. Hibernation and Rejuvenation was a huge success.

What informed the title of your book?

I started writing the book the week I was supposed to be mourning. I would have gone into depression, because some people thought that was the period to dehumanise me. I heard voice clearly telling me to write. I started writing because my best friends then were ants in the room where I was mourning my husband. If I hadn’t written the book, I would have gone into depression. I drew my inspiration form the ants in the room, because I noticed then that if I drove them away, they kept coming back. That lesson helped me come out of my self-pity and then I started writing the book. My book has touched a lot of lives. Within a year after losing my husband, the book was launched and it has encouraged a lot of women.

How important are exhibitions to an artist’s career?

As an artist, one can never be complete without exhibitions. People that have made big names like Yusuf Grillo and the likes don’t need to exhibit their works before people patronise them. I always advise artists to always think of carrying out exhibitions. It does not necessarily mean to sell their works, because there is a work I sold two years ago that I am so passionate about. Sometimes I feel like going back to the buyer to retrieve the work. I want artist to know that the importance of exhibition is not to showcase their talents and let people see the best in them. I am not saying they shouldn’t sell their works, because to have a successful exhibition, you must have sold most of your works.

As a lecturer with 20 years of experience, would you say we have more students going into art?

We now have fewer students than before, because of the entry requirements into YABATECH. I am speaking in particular for this institution. I assure you that after this month we will have more students come here as we will not be so rigid about our admission requirements. Again, if you take it backwards, you will find that the secondary schools are also affected. Secondary school students are not being encouraged to go into art.

We have few art teachers in the secondary schools. However, SNA, Lagos, is trying to tackle the problem headlong. We have visited most of the primary and secondary schools to awaken the interest of students in art. Luckily, I had the opportunity to be the coordinator for a national symposium, which YABATECH hosted. Personally, I went round schools to speak with principals and head teachers on a personal level. I can assure you that this year, we will have more students. Because the students are not encouraged, most of them decide not to go into art. Every parent wants to be called the father of a lawyer, the father of a medical doctor, but a few artists do very well out there.

What future do you see for art?

I see a very bright future. I speak not only as a lecturer in the polytechnic, but also as the Vice Chairman of the SNA. My position there has provided me the opportunity to meet with graduates from other institutions, and I can confidently say that the future is bright because they are all doing well. I can tell you that the avenue has been opened for other students to come in to study art. Gone are the days that people think artists were dropouts or never-do-wells. They had that mentality, because they didn’t even know the requirements of studying arts. Amongst other important subjects, English is compulsory to study art.

Where would you draw the line between art in Nigeria and the western world?

We are doing very well in Nigeria. The only difference is that the materials especially for painters are very expensive. Otherwise, the Nigerian artists are highly intelligent and they are doing well. I have had the opportunity of going out there to attend exhibitions and I saw Nigerians as facilitators of art workshops. I was very proud of being a Nigerian. Nigerians can hold their own anywhere, any day and anytime in art.

How can the issue of high cost of materials be addressed?

The issue can be addressed if the Federal Government steps in, but the issue is why must we push it to the Federal Government. As artists, why can’t we diversify into other fields? It is only in Nigeria that we stick to a particular genre of art. We forget our basics and where we come from. For one to go through any art school, the first year, you have to study introduction to all fields of art. This makes every artist in Nigeria to be versatile. For instance, if I am a painter and I know I cannot afford acrylic, what stops me from trying out other things?

Do you think artists would buy into that?

I know that it is a very sensitive issue, but these are some of the issues discussed when I travelled out. The problem is that a painter wants to be known strictly as a painter. There is nothing wrong if a painter has an exhibition of all prints or a textile designer has an exhibition of all paintings. Also, we have friends and relatives out there who can help us acquire these materials.

I don’t think, with apologies to my fellow artists, that materials are so expensive if we are passionate about what we are doing. We all buy aso-ebis and live flashy life styles. So, why don’t we sacrifice such frivolities for art materials?

Why have artists in Nigeria not explored the option of fabricating their materials?

That is a very good option, but the truth is that fabricating materials is a very difficult thing. It depends on the individual and that is why I have learnt a lot from Pa Bruce Onobrakpeya. He introduced a method we call Collagraph in print making. In Collagraph, we recycle materials ranging from old jute bags, fabrics, nets to leather, dry leaves and generally any junk one can piece together to create beautiful design. Having a masterpiece artwork does not necessarily mean that one should use expensive materials. Recently, I saw Oshinowo’s exhibition in collaboration with a fashion designer and 90 percent of his work was done with damask material. So, who says we cannot, on our own, be inventive. We should try to create things on our own.

Is YABATECH exploring that option?

Of course we are, but I cannot speak for everybody. However, I can assure you that the students, as well as the lecturers, are exploring the option.

Does the SNA have any programme to cushion the effects of high cost of materials on its members?

What we have planned to do is to work in collaboration with companies that sell art materials in Nigeria to see how members of SNA can be given discount.

What would be your message to upcoming artists?

I would urge them to do be passionate about their chosen field. They should be committed in order to sustain the passion. They should never look back if they are convinced that they were born with the talent.

In your opinion as a lecturer, what makes a good artist?

First, there should be the zeal or the urge to bring out the best in them. Also, there should be a high measure of dedication in whatever they do. With these, they can definitely bring out the best. Most importantly is that they must be focused. The fact that I said artists should diversify does not mean they should lose focus.

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