Artist Appeals To Gov�t To Recognize Art

Ms Marigold Akuffo-Addo, a renowned Ghanaian Contemporary Artist on Friday called for the creation of a platform that would enable artists to contribute their quota towards the socio-economic development efforts of the country.

�Fine Art has directives and fuel for future development and it is the artist that can delve into the past and harness it with the present to create a vision for the future so artists must be allowed to play important roles and make an impact in society� she said.

Ms Akuffo-Addo was speaking during the �Meet the Artist �lecture and exhibition show organised by Foundation for Contemporary Art (FCA), which was on the theme: "Creative Perspectives-Promoting contemporary Art in Ghana.� She said it was unfortunate that most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa had failed to recognize Art as a development tool.

�Most of the countries that we look up to in the Western World have devoted resources towards the promotion of Art but in Sub-Saharan Africa, Art has been sidelined and the needs of artists are not satisfied,� she said. Ms Akuffo-Addo suggested the need for a forum for the exchange of different Art forms and ideas among artists in Sub-Saharan Africa to enable them to promote their works outside the borders of their countries.

�It was in Senegal and Sierra Leone where I absorbed into my work the different Art forms of these countries. Utility is a primary factor in African Art that is why I build up my canvas in one tenths of an inch squares and the medium: oil paint, acrylic, pen and ink, etchings and lithographs as well as paintings usually to tell a story� she said. Ms Akuffo-Addo said her upcoming �Kasa �project which encompasses architecture, music, d�cor, fine art, and embraces other forms of art was meant to lift artists into a new era of development to enable them to make an impact in society.

Ms Adwoa Amoah, Project Director of FCA noted that artists are a precious human resource whose potential may be realized best if they work to build a network �Our mission is to create an active network of artists and a critical forum for the development of contemporary art in Ghana. �FCA is the only foundation of its kind in Ghana and it is dedicated to supporting the development of young artists. It offer artists a badly needed place to brainstorm, learn about the international art scene and keep in contact with the World� she said.

Ms Amoah said FCA projects such as �Art in public spaces�, �Meet the artist�, �Mentorship� and �Breaking barriers� provide a critical platform for the promotion and development of contemporary art in Ghana.

Source: GNA