Academic literature on the topic 'National Visual Art Competition (Nigeria)'

The recently completed review of visual education, First we see, makes recommendations that contrast sharply with most traditional forms of art teaching in Australian schools. Although the review implicitly stands against a narrow conception of a visual education founded on artistic and aesthetic concerns, I argue that the concept of ‘visuacy’ that the review offers as a complement to literacy and numeracy is misconceived as an educational objective. Theories of art education today derive from a history of ideas about creativity and self-expression, while classroom practice is dominated by the uncritical imitation of the contemporary adult art world. The confusion of values shows most acutely in the way visual arts education culminates at Year 12 level with students being recruited into a large-scale art competition that lacks an educational justification even though it wins wide public approval.

Contemporary Young Talent (CYT) is a visual arts competition organized by the National Visual Arts Gallery (NVAG) which is the most prestigious in Malaysia. Its 40 years of organization have successfully produced many renowned artists who are now pioneers in the Malaysian and regional visual arts arena. In line with the strength of CYT as a reflection of the future of Malaysian visual arts and the role of art as a cultural vehicle, the objective of the study is to analyze and further dismantle the latest visual art works of Malaysian artists from the perspective of national culture through the CYT platform from 2000 to 2013. This study aims to clearly understand the visual elements and features that are the cultural identity in the latest Malaysian visual arts. This objective was achieved through observation and reading of CYT catalog books published by NVAG, scholarly books, journals, and relevant previous studies as well as interviews on three artists and academics who won the CYT competition. This study uses a qualitative approach, guided by the 4 components of the theory of art criticism Feldman E.B. (1994) namely description, analysis, interpretation and evaluation. 9 works will be analyzed from the aspects of ‘form’ and ‘meaning’. The results of the work analysis will be compared with national cultural elements (data triangulation) and then justify and classify CYT visual art works based on the 3 cores of the National Cultural Policy, namely, the culture of the region's indigenous peoples, other appropriate cultures and Islamic culture through descriptive text.). This study is important to create awareness, deeper appreciation and provide knowledge to art admirers in understanding the meaning and approach and content in the latest visual artwork. The results of the study through descriptive texts explain the existence of national cultural elements and their relationship in selected contemporary works of CYT (2000-2013).

This essay is a review of art historian Chika Okeke-Agulu's Postcolonial Modernism: Art and Decolonization in Twentieth-Century Nigeria (Duke University Press, 2015). The book offers a chronicle of artistic theories, practices, and institutions during Nigeria's independence years (1957–67) amid the historical frames of Third World liberation, African decolonization, and Cold War realpolitik. The essay explores in particular how Postcolonial Modernism revisits and explores the thematic of “national culture”—the concept presented by Frantz Fanon in 1959, with long-lasting impact on theories of postcolonial arts—in the (decentralized) Nigerian art world, with a focus on the synthetic studio practices of members of the Zaria Art Society. Fanon's “two-fold becoming” model of national culture, which implies catalyzing links to international liberation movements, impacts not only Okeke-Agulu's narrative of a generational opposition to the preceding cultural paradigms of Negritude, but also—the essay argues—the writing of global modernist history at-large.

Abstract This paper examines issues of language choice and language use patterns, attitudes to English and to indigenous languages in official communicative interaction in Nigeria as they exist in the offices today. The report is projected against the background of the claim that English is 'the language of government, education, commerce, etc.' in Nigeria; a claim that does not present the current roster of functions performed or shared by English and the other languages. It does not correctly portray workers' preferences of language medium in participating in the numerous communicative interactions they get into in the course of their day's work. This report acclaims the importance of English particularly in a multiplex society such as Nigeria's, but also goes on to role-sharing and competition for certain communicative functions is actually going on between English and the indigenous languages in the offices today. The report therefore represents a state of the art commentary on language use practice and preferences in the offices. It is a signal to the writers of the Nigerian Constitution and drafters of the National Language Policy per se that a reworking is due. And for other English as a Second Language (ESL) nations, the report is a hint that assessment of the actual roles of English in national life is a continuous process rather than a once-and-for-all issue.

Abstract At the end of the 1950s, 200 coffee tables and other furniture and fittings were created by interior designers who won a design competition organized by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) in Ankara. The tables were envisioned to be made by modern ceramic artists and designers of the time. Despite never meeting, they created joint works that were celebrated at the time for their artistic quality. The coffee tables, which were used by government ministers, were useful for introducing ceramics into government interiors while informing the leaders of a modernizing Turkish nation about modern art. This study traces the stories behind the creation of these unique artworks based on the personal stories of Füreya Koral, Sadun Ersin, and the Taylan Ceramics Atelier, who were all significant contributors to the history of this furniture. The method used included literature review, a comprehensive archival research through popular magazines, and interviews with artists and designers of the time. The interviews helped uncover data that could not be accessed otherwise. The findings contribute to Turkish and international design history, uncovering artworks and identifying modernist artists and designers of the time in Turkey.

Dance pedagogy is a complex and dynamic field of competency that involves various skills and self-appearance. Therefore, dance instructors must widen the scope of their competency to strengthen and improve their level. This research aimed to identify the competency of dance instructors teaching the practical subject of Malay Court Dance based on factors including the components of pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and professionalism. The data was collected from interviews with the instructors and was analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the instructors’ competency level development could be mapped into three dimensions, namely orientation, agent, and competency content. It was concluded that art schools in Malaysia need to develop dance instructors’ competency in terms of (1) 21st-century learning needs, (2) vertical and horizontal knowledge sharing, (3) workshop, study tour, and competition, and (4) standardization of technological development relevant for curriculum, across knowledge, practical, and feeling domains.

The paper is about the set of drawings and documents by Ödön Lechner and Gyula Pártos for the Town-hall of Szeged dated to 1881–1883 (Hungarian National Archives, Csongrád-Csanád County Archives, Szeged [MNL CSML], Collection of Building Plans and Documents of the Municipality of Szeged, marked Lecher Ödön, Pártos Gyula: A Szegedi Városházhoz készített tervek, rajzok és iratok, [Plans, drawings and documents for the Szeged Town-hall], XV.2b. 45. d.-49.d). The elaborated theme includes ground-plans, rosette, baluster and skylight plans, detail plans of staircase and main cornice, plan of the roof of the main staircase, 37 drawings of ornamental sculpture, window pillars, window frames and rail chains, painter’s stencils signed by Ödön Lechner, two façade versions, tower detail, details of the main portal, drawings of the vault around the clock, of the ornaments of room doors and cornice elements. The building logbooks, list of submissions to the competition with code-names and the contracts signed with the building contractors are also valuable sources.In addition to eighty drawings of diverse sizes and techniques, the collection includes the construction documents, accounts, correspondence, building logbooks, planning competition calls, and a colour plan for the tiling of the Szeged Town-hall now in the Architectural Collection of the Kiscelli Museum of the Budapest History Museum (inv.no. 117). I evaluate the drawings both within the conception of an architectural work and also as separate graphic sheets, and try to describe their background in terms of the history of architecture, art and ideas.I am led to conclude that the Szeged Town-hall was the first project to manifest Lechner’s ambition to lay the groundworks of a national architecture based on the more abstracted and universal basic forms of folk art but keeping abreast of European tendencies. The drawings are invaluable in that they add more information to the chronology of Lechner’s artistic career and lend stress to the fact that folklore and local history researches, the intellectual approach, the synthesis of local and international achievements, a thorough knowledge of the history of ceramics, the redefinition of traditions played at least as important roles in creating the concept of a building as individual intention and creative imagination.The paper was supported by the Ernő Kállai Art Historical Research Grant.

ABSTRACT: The inappropriate practical assessment of the Visual Arts for ideal practical evaluation has necessitated the general outcry on the factors responsible for it. This paper tries to investigate the factors responsible for the non-compliance with credible practical assessment in Visual Arts for quality certification. It is giving some insight into solutions that will help in stamping out these inhibiting factors against the credible practical assessment in Visual Arts. When more emphasis are laid on practical courses and standard practical test examination conducted, it will go a long way in solving the unemployment problem observed as possible fallout of assessment methods and emphasis paper qualification at the expense of practical practice. It is suggested that examination materials be provided at least a month to the commencement of examination, more time should be allotted to practical examinations, supervision of practical examination should be handled with more seriousness, and the joint assessment of practical examination works be introduced. Finally, it is recommend possible ways of conducting practical examination to all stake holders in Visual Arts in Nigeria.KEY WORD: Practical Assessment; Visual Arts; Quality Certification; Examination Materials; National Development of Nigeria. ABSTRAKSI: “Sertifikasi Ideal Seni Rupa di Nigeria melalui Penilaian Praktek yang Valid”. Penilaian praktek Seni Rupa yang tidak tepat untuk evaluasi praktek yang ideal mengharuskan terjadinya kecaman umum terhadap faktor-faktor yang bertanggung jawab terhadapnya. Makalah ini mencoba untuk menyelidiki faktor-faktor yang bertanggung jawab atas ketidakpatuhan terhadap penilaian praktek yang kredibel dalam Seni Rupa untuk sertifikasi mutu. Ianya memberikan beberapa wawasan tentang solusi yang akan membantu dalam mencegah faktor penghambat terhadap penilaian praktek yang kredibel dalam Seni Rupa. Bila penekanan lebih diberikan pada kursus praktis dan ujian praktis standar yang dilakukan, ia akan sangat membantu dalam memecahkan masalah pengangguran yang diamati sebagai kemungkinan dampak metode penilaian dan penekanan pada kualifikasi kertas dengan mengorbankan ujian praktek. Disarankan agar bahan ujian diberikan paling sedikit sebulan sampai dengan dimulainya ujian, lebih banyak waktu yang harus diberikan untuk ujian praktek, pengawasan terhadap ujian praktek harus ditangani dengan lebih serius, dan penilaian bersama terhadap latihan ujian praktek diperkenalkan. Akhirnya, direkomendasikan berbagai cara melakukan ujian praktek untuk semua pemangku kepentingan Seni Rupa di Nigeria.KATA KUNCI: Penilaian Praktis; Seni Rupa; Sertifikasi Mutu; Bahan Ujian; Pembangunan Nasional Nigeria. About the Authors: D.N. Osariyekemwen, Ph.D. is a Lecturer at the Department of General Art and Industrial Design, Auchi Polytechnic, PMB 13, Auchi, Nigeria; P.O. Otimeyin, Ph.D. is a Lecturer at the Department of Ceramics, Auchi Polytechnic, PMB 13, Auchi, Nigeria; and G.O. Esebameh is a Lecturer at the Department of Graphics and Textiles, Auchi Polytechnic, PMB 13, Auchi, Nigeria. E-mails address of authors: osadanosa@gmail.com, otimeyinpius@yahoo.com, and continentalgeobameh@gmail.comHow to cite this article? Osariyekemwen, D.N., P.O. Otimeyin G.O. Esebameh. (2017). “Ideal Certification of Visual Arts in Nigeria through Valid Practical Assessment” in MIMBAR PENDIDIKAN: Jurnal Indonesia untuk Kajian Pendidikan, Vol.2(2), September, pp.155-162. Bandung, Indonesia: UPI [Indonesia University of Education] Press, ISSN 2527-3868 (print) and 2503-457X (online). Chronicle of the article: Accepted (April 6, 2017); Revised (June 13, 2017); and Published (September 30, 2017).

On the assumption, upon which perception may be considered as an associative integration of available memory pictures or archetypes as universal thought forms, the deep ecological, cross-cultural and holistic approach is conceived for two complementary areas of research: 1) contemplations about the anthropological traits of imagination, symbolic meanings of museum objects, culture, archetype image symbols and induced associations; 2) meditation on the notion of man in the language and culture of Igbo people in Nigeria, and group visual art expression. These contents are discussed with reference to some knowledge in archetypology, neuroscience, semiotics, fine and other arts, psychoanalysis, sophrology, museology and other related areas. Culture is considered as a way of life which embraces the customs and beliefs, arts, rituals, mentality, religious leaning of the people and historically transmitted patterns of symbols. Three subjects, who graduated in philosophy and/or theology at the Nigerian University, were involved in these activities. Their role in the research workshops extended to that of active participants as listeners, observers and researchers. Museum collections are considered as traditional religious objects, as artistic or ornamental objects, as charms and fetish objects. In a broader sense, and with a review on psychoanalytic theory of object relations and other related areas, some contemplation is shown about the complex history and meaning of the word charms, fetish and related terms, and about creativity, beliefs and human coping mechanisms with various problem areas. In this context, the importance of the catalytic role of education and the heritage mission of the Nigerian museum is highlighted. Research activities were carried out in the Museum of Charms and Fetish Objects in Main Campus of Madonna University and National Pilgrimage Centre in Elele, Nigeria.

Just half a century ago, Malevich’s name was familiar to very few people. On a wave of international interest to the avant-garde, he became a world-famous artist. Kazimir Malevich (1879–1935) was born into a Polish family in Kyiv and created the Black Square (1915) in Moscow. These are the most important facts that todayallow three countries (Poland, Ukraine, and Russia) to consider him as their “own” artist. Art historians and curators actively research Malevich’s work, usually arguing that he belongs to the culture they themselves represent.This paper gives a brief overview of the discovery of Malevich in the West and of his late recognition in the USSR. It also deals with the growth of his popularity since the early 1980s, and provides examples of the current use of his name and work in cultural-political narratives. Malevich’s legacy has gone far beyond art history tobecome iconic in each of the three countries. Today the abstract visual language unseats realistic images due to its universal nature; pure abstract forms become incorporated with their three-dimensional configurations into urban spaces. Million-dollar prices at auctions encourage counterfeits, resulting in some huge scandals. Suprematist language is employed in a very broad range: from the tragic to the entertaining. Malevich becomes a “trump card” in national “decks.” It is precisely the international meaning of Malevich’s ideas that has caused national “competition” for this author.

This chapter presents an arts-based research method enabling the study of existential dilemmas regarding ageing by using the visual artwork as a medium to evoke a profound dialogue between researcher and respondent. The application of the method will be shown in an arts-educational setting – focusing on the existential dimensions of life. The method is based on Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS: Housen, 1997; Yenawine, 2013), an art education method for conducting conversations on attentive and conscious perceptions of visual artworks. To further enhance the focused engagement with artworks, VTS has been expanded with a set of eXisTential Reflective Additional questions (XTRA: Bruijn & Jansen, 2019). This allows the VTS XTRA method to be applied in social work settings for use by workers and researchers to gain insight into older people’s existential questions making use of visual artworks. The research setting for our case example is the application of VTS XTRA with ageing visitors of the ‘Special Award’ exhibition in the Dutch Nicolaïkerk in Utrecht. The Special Award is a national competition for visual artists with a disability, organised by the Special Arts foundation. In its peripheral programme, ageing visitors were invited to participate in conversations by looking at the artworks during a VTS XTRA session. These discussions generate data for an ongoing doctoral study of the first author (PB) on the pedagogical utility of art with respect to existential questions.

Galway International Arts Festival (GIAF) takes place in July in the West of Ireland and combines different art-forms including theatre, music and the visual arts. It comprises comedy and street spectacle, as well as a discursive strand centred on creativity called First Thought Talks. The festival was established in 1978 as an outlet for professional artists living in the area and a stage to showcase national and international artwork. It was originally called Galway Arts Festival and added the term ‘international’ to its title in 2014. This name change could be interpreted as a strategic marketing move to position GIAF in a broader circuit of international events, but is also an interesting starting point to discuss GIAF’s transformation as informed by globalisation. Globalisation is a complex interplay of economic and cultural dynamics shaping the sense of the world as a smaller place, where ‘new global elements coexist alongside existing and established local or national cultural forms’ (Robins, 1997: 19). Globalisation goes hand-in-hand with technological progress and the information economy, which is based “on the capacity to create new knowledge and to apply it rapidly, via information processing and telecommunications, to a wide range of human activities in ever-broadening space and time” (Carnoy et al., 1993: 6). As the world becomes interconnected, there is increasing competition to gain financial resources and hold a share of people’s attention.