Don tasks FG on Artists Endowment Fund

By CALEB AYANSINA

Dr. Duniya  Gambo of the Department of Fine Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria has called for the establishment  of Endowment Fund for Artists ‘to help lead the country attain technological advancement.

Gambo, Curator of the on going Santi Art Exhibition at the Thought Pyramid Art Gallery, Abuja made the call, while speaking with Vanguard art.

He said it is unfortunate that despite all art institutions in  the country  that, “it does not add to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP)”, because of neglect and over concentration on oil.

“It is so unfortunate that governments do not have endowment for Artists, they are always on their own, and we are encouraging government again to institute endowment for artists to give them grant, so that they can lead this country in to the technological drive that we are looking for.

“If you check, all the endowments we have are from international organizations, but the question you want to ask is why do they think that foreign countries will bring their money and invest on our art? Instead of them benefiting from the idea of our art and culture here in Nigeria, other countries are the one benefiting from the idea and bring it back for us to consume”, Gambo lamented.

According to him, “the exhibition like this is to disabuse the mind of the people and to correct impression that religion and art work are at loggerhead, art is art is not about creating image to worship”.

He therefore urged parents to have re-think about preventing their siblings from taking art  seriously  as profession, “because it is art that drive science and technology, without art there will be no science. Parents should allow their children who have skills and talents to take their path”.