By Japhet Alakam

Worried by what can be described as the perceived limitations in artistic scholarship in Nigeria, a coalition  of art administrators and teachers from the academia converged in Lagos for a forum tagged First International Conference on the State of Visual Arts Scholarship in Nigeria in the Era of Globalism.

The conference which was attended by many art teachers, scholars and administrators from various universities across the nation held at Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island Lagos, afforded them the opportunity to deliberate on matters concerning the development of the visual art practice in Nigeria.

In his keynote address, Prof D. Egonwa of Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State enjoined Visual art teachers, practitioners, promoters, artists as well as others in the discipline  to embrace practices that promote quality, as quality engagement in visual arts studies is the key to the academic and administrative visibility of colleagues in the Ivory Tower.

According to him, “Visual Arts as an academic discipline at the tertiary level of Nigeria’s educational system has evolved through various stages in the past six decades from the ordinary National Diploma to the Doctor of philosophy degree in Studio Art. In its evolutionary history, the discipline has witnessed desirable as well as many undesirable developments.

The limitations range from improper definition of purpose, mission and vision, no or nebulous methods of instruction, mixed system of staff hire and  fire, wrong or no research methods,  infrastructural and curricular inadequacies to poor text book development.

All these leading to poor professional engagement of trained artists amongst others. These issues in turn contribute to largely to the hesitant acceptance and poor visibility of the Nigerian artist in the academia.”

Divided  into four areas,Visual Arts Studies in Nigeria ; Curriculum Development and Art Teaching  Methods;  Studio Ph.D.: Problems and Prospects  Art Exhibitions as Publication, Egonwa  looked at the grey areas in the visual art practice and suggsted that there is need for a total overhaul of the system.

For example,  in the field, artists have virtually lost grip of a professional steering of the art market to dictatorial collectors as quality critical and informed appreciation no longer reigns. ‘Authoritative’ publications on art in Nigeria are on the increase and paradoxically authored by persons without appropriate art writing training while the trained “lack organizational skills”?

and  are by-passed as “ prophets of doom”? or accused of complacency. On books and other academic materials needed to enhance art education, the argues that publications that have been so rated as authoritative on art in Nigeria are authored by people who lack appropriate training.

But professionals who have been trained, the organisers lament are by-passed as prophets of doom or accused of complacency. Several others who presented papers at the forum argued that the issues raised are largely blamed for imbalance rating of artists in the Nigerian academic environment.

On his part, Frank A. O. Ugiomoh  in his paper titled A Revisionist Overview of  the Historigraphy of African Art History, Disciplinary, Authenticity and Western Mindset  points to the importance of historiography. He stated that the historiography of art history demonstrates that the production of knowledge is always historically determined and knows no closure.

This realization permits us to understand more fully the interpretations proposed by the scholars of the past, that is, it sensitizes us to how the values of their own time colored their accounts of the past, as it makes us cognizant of the social and political function of our own activity as purveyors of culture

Earlier in his opening remarks, the chairman of the event and chairman of Society of Nigeria Artist, SNA, Oliver Enwonwu who commended the organisers for  a job well done, said that SNA is a the forefront of supporting any good thing in the development of visual arts.

The topic according to him is vital particularly today as the world is getting smaller because of internet and as it is geared towards making us to be part of the global village.

Speaking after the presentations, Egonwa who is one of the conveners said, “the issues I raised about the limitations in artistic scholarship in Nigeria that we can come together and negotiate and integrate so that people will know what to do.

You can find that a lot of people are not doing exactly what they ought to do, some because they do not know, some because they don’t know the implication of what they are doing, like not teaching well, they are not teaching well because you are after your own business. The generation after you will not have anything and then you would have done disservice to the society instead of doing what is right.”

“After the papers, we are going to publish a very colourful and good publication that  will be accessible to people, but we are going to make some of our findings by way of communique to the powers that be in the authorities like the NUC, Federal ministry of Education and universities because we want a change of attitude. For instance, the joining of drama and music and visual art together as cultural and creative art is not good, its a disservice to the nation.”

In attendance were Professor Osa D Egonwa at Delta State University, Prof Frank Ogiomoh, Prof. Ajibade Babson, Dr.Bojor Enamhe, Dr. Ken Koli,, Zaria. Dr. Adeyemi Kunle, Mr Mike Omoighe, Prof. Netto A. Emiemokumo, Dr. Etido Inyang, Dr. Nelson Edewor, Prof. Cliff Nwanna and Mr.Iyama Gordy and a host of others.