CREATIVE PROFESSIONALISM AND DIDACTIC FUNCTIONALISM: SCULPTURE GARDENS OF SELECTED TERTIARY ART INSTITUTIONSIN SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study  sees  sculpture garden  as  an  important  phenomenon in  the history and development of artistic creation not only in Southeastern Nigeria but also in the entire country. Sculpture gardens are also considered as places devoted to the display of sculptural works created in different media; ranging from stone, metal, fibre, cement or found  objects  like junk  in  the private or public places.  Sculpture  gardens  are significant tourist attractions and sources of inspiration and motivation to the public, and particularly to artists and students within and outside Southeastern Nigeria. Other relevant issues on sculpture gardens are further highlighted in the introduction to the study,  followed  by  methodological  processes.  Review  of  related  literature  is effectively carried out. Sculpture gardens in the Southeastern institutions are brought into   focus   with   emphasis   on   historical   development.   Sculpture  materials   are extensively discussed along with various sculpture gardens in the Southeastern tertiary institutions. Sculpture gardens and functions constitute a significant part of the study, because of the important roles they play in the lives of individuals and communities. This is followed by formalistic significance of Southeastern Nigeria Sculpture gardens with emphasis on their formalistic characters. Conclusively, there is a high level of creative  professionalism  in  the  works  displayed  in  the  various  sculpture  gardens. Again, these sculptures increase the didactic functionalism that improves the quality of teaching and learning among the students and staff in the various tertiary institutions. It is recommended that Fine Arts departments of tertiary institutions should take the business of sculpture gardens seriously, since they are arenas not only for the display of creative professionalism, but also for achieving didactic functionalism, among others.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background Account

A sculpture garden is an important phenomenon in the history and development of artistic creation in Nigeria. Sculpture gardens are places devoted to the display of sculptural works produced in different media, ranging from stone, metal, fibre, cement or found objects like junk and others in tertiary institutions or public places. It is a significant tourist attraction and also a source of inspiration and motivation to the public, particularly, to artists and students.

Emphatically,   sculpture   garden   provides   an   avenue   through   which sculpture pieces of different sizes and media are assembled in an open space for admiration, thereby increasing aesthetic appeal and awareness. This awareness, to a considerable extent, is needed to move forward artistically and culturally by creating enabling environment that could challenge and stimulate the interest of students and others in creative exploration. This will eventually lead to improvement in standard of not only sculpture but also in other areas of visual arts.

Sculpture is a plastic art and a branch of the visual arts which is produced in three dimensional forms. Sculpture has been dominant and central in religious worship in many different cultures. However, in recent times, large sculptures, too expensive  for  private  individuals to  collect  or  create,  or  originally  made  for community use, are usually used as an expression of religion, sometimes, politics and expression of peoples’ way of life in the society. Sculpture is one of the most important media of expression in Africa, both in the traditional and contemporary contexts.

Sculpture in the traditional African setting is dynamic and performs social, religious, creative and aesthetic functions. Oloidi sees sculpture in the traditional context  as  the  “physical  synthesis  of  people’s  struggle  for  survival”.1   Oloidi further  observes that  “Traditional  sculpture is  a  transmissibly acquired three- dimensional form of art that is purely African in form and concept without any adulteration from non-African cultures”.2 Considering the indispensable role sculpture plays in a given society, particularly, in the promotion of cultural values and the enhancement of the environment aesthetically, Oloidi states:

Traditional sculpture was that authoritative image whose cultural paramountcy embodied people’s cultural and spiritual continuity. In fact, sculpture among the people was the most conceptually beautiful object to life existence.

Sculpture in the opinion of Grillo could be considered as a “medium of expression that dictates a certain discipline and structural standard to convey both meaning and aesthetic values”.4 Yusuf Grillo, in an interview with Mike Omoighe observes that:

Apart from the nature of the materials and techniques involved in producing a sculpture piece, anyone in the area of sculpture as a career or hobby must have a certain level of ruggedness, tenacity and perseverance, as the technical process demands a calculating mind.5

However, this demanding nature of sculpture could be a reason for the absence of meaningful monumental environmental sculptures in the past. Today, the situation is gradually changing for the better; one can now see monumental sculpture pieces at strategic locations in different major cities, adorning and enhancing the aesthetic values of the society, as well as communicating different other messages. They are found in cities like Enugu, Owerri, Uyo and Lagos. Similarly, monumental sculpture pieces are also found in the sculpture gardens of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Apart from the works found in the gardens, sculptural pieces are also mounted at strategic locations in the institutions, either to convey certain messages to the people or strictly for aesthetic functions.

Works in the sculpture gardens serve religious, social, preservatory, therapeutic,  inspirational  or  motivational  as  well  as  educational  functions. Sculpture gardens in tertiary institutions are products of creativity which, if properly harnessed, could lead to increase in professionalism in the visual arts as well  as  promote  effective  teaching  and  learning  of  art  in  Nigeria.  Sculpture gardens in tertiary institutions with particular reference to Southeastern Nigeria, for  example,  are  situated  in  teaching  and  learning  environment.  They  are permanent exhibition stands which could help inspire and stimulate both artists and art students.

The  sculpture  gardens  perform  dual  functions. First,  they  increase the didactic  functionalism that  improves  the  quality  or  standard  of  teaching  and learning among the staff and students of the tertiary institutions. Sculpture gardens also encourage professionalisation, giving rise to creative professionalism not only in the field of sculpture, but also in other areas of the visual arts.

Preble and Frank are of the view that, “creativity developed through art experiences, enhances creative problem solving and communicating in other areas of life.”6  They believe that opportunities that sculpture gardens offer for creative expression are extremely important. They further observe that creativity develops one’s abilities to integrate experiences of the outside world with those of the inner selves. Creativity is important in the creation of sculpture and other areas of the visual arts. It has helped in the improvement of the present art standard and in the attainment of new reality, which is exemplified by the impressive and expressive works in the various sculpture gardens of the tertiary institutions in Southeastern Nigeria.

The exhibition of different stylistic approaches to sculpture rendition with structural rightness, is  a  strong  indication of  advancement in  standard  which employs creativity and its components, like imagination and originality. However, “Creativity is as fundamental to experiencing and appreciating a work of art as it is to making one.”7 One of the reasons for this discussion, is to advance knowledge and to determine the role and extent the concept “creativity” has influenced the growth and standard of sculpture gardens of the tertiary institutions. It has led to improvement in standard of works not only in sculpture but in all the areas of Fine and Applied Arts.

Creativity   has   also   ushered   in   dynamism,   dexterity   and   spirit   of competition among artists and students within and outside tertiary institutions. The moment the natural forms of subjective experiences are abstracted to the point of symbolic presentation, the forms could be used to imagine feeling and appreciate its nature. This is exemplified by the works of abstract compositions seen in the sculpture gardens of the various Nigerian tertiary institutions.

However, for the works in the various sculpture gardens to be creative and perform the functions for which they are conceived and made, the artists have to be continuously open to change; open to new ideas, new possibilities as these will create atmosphere for the desired leap of the imagination which is the bedrock of creativity. Again, most of the works in the sculpture gardens are a reflection of the culture of the people of the area where such gardens are located. Through the sculpture garden, the  students, researchers, tourists and  the  entire  society  are informed, knowledge advanced and creativity  enhanced, as well as economic, social and cultural development. Sculpture gardens could be used, and at an early age in life, to enhance or induce creativity and technical interest in students as well as artists.

The establishment of sculpture garden is a vital phenomenon in the history and  development  of  tertiary  art  institutions  in  Southeastern  Nigeria.  This  is because, today, there is hardly any art department in the tertiary institutions within the scope of the study without a sculpture garden. It must be stressed that the establishment of sculpture gardens in the art departments of tertiary institutions is based on a collective effort of both students and other members of the art departments. They usually have a common philosophy and a common system of aesthetic  principles.  Thus,  each  tertiary  institution  flourishes  with  different stylistic approaches, exploring different media like fibre, metal, stone, concrete, marble, silver, bronze and others to achieve a distinctive style that distinguishes them from other art departments.

To  this  extent, most  of  the  works  in  the  major  sculpture gardens  are produced within the context of the above principles. It is observed that the works speak more for themselves and tell more about the traditional and cultural background of the artists and the immediate environment where the works are produced.  One  also  discovers  that  each  sculpture  piece  in  the  garden  has  a message to convey to the viewer. It is for this reason that Oloidi asserts that in traditional Nigerian society, artists were highly revered and were part of the social process at various levels of development, both in the spiritual and material realms of the society.8 Oloidi believes that the art products, particularly, sculpture pieces, are quite functional and appreciated by the communities.

However, this background account will not be complete without acknowledging  Ahmadu  Bello  University  (ABU)  as  the  pioneer  of  sculpture garden in Nigeria. Historically, sculpture garden traditional at ABU goes back to the late 1950s when notable or important students’ works, particularly, sculptures were displayed in the art department’s premises for instructional, aesthetic, and social reasons among others. Interestingly, one may consider Yaba College of Technology, Yaba as the first institution to establish Sculpture garden in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. This consideration is advanced in the sense that Yaba College of Technology is seen as the first tertiary institution in Nigeria. However, there was no formalised sculpture garden in the institution until much later.

It is believed that Department of Fine Arts of Yaba College of Technology, Yaba may have been established long ago, and before that of ABU Zaria, Oloidi states that the institution lacked the ambition to establish an organized and formalized sculpture garden. It was so, until in the late 1960s when Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria took the bold step and a giant stride to establish one, which eventually became the first and foremost sculpture garden in the history of modern art in Nigeria.

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