SNA to discuss economy as week begins in Lagos

Discussions on Importance of Art Education to the Development Of An Emerging Economy will headline the 2019 Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) week in Lagos.

The programme starts on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 and ends August 17, 2019. The opening event will also include, discussion session on insurance awareness, cultural performance, award ceremony and cutting of anniversary cake and medical check.Also lined up is a five-a-side football tourney, volleyball, table tennis, Ayo and Ludo competitions. The society will equally honour Chief Nike Okundaye and Dr. Ademola Azeez. The week will be rounded off with a demonstration of drawing, painting, sculpting and design skills at the National Stadium, Surulere (Under Bridge) on August 17, 2019.

Speaking to The Guardian, SNA Chairman, Lagos State chapter, Idowu Sonaya, said the event’s lecture theme, The Importance of Art Education to the Development of an Emerging Economy, would be delivered by the Chief Lecturer, Sculpture and African Art History, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, Mr. Pam Makanju.

Sonaya said, “it has always been the desire of SNA Lagos to create different viable platforms for its members to flourish. The SNA week has been designed to bring all its members together to interact with one another and connect with the public under a relaxed atmosphere so as to keep up with the pace of the ever-changing creative world.

“Once every year, we gather to rub minds on common challenging issues that affect our profession. In confronting these challenges, however, the Government, its agencies and other relevant bodies are carried along so that the resolutions arrived at are gracefully lobbied for implementation.

“Our emphasis last year was on Artistic Embellishment of Public Space in Lagos: Myths and Realities. This year, our focus is on the economy which seeks to x-ray the relevance of arts, the viability of articulated art curriculum contents and its overall effects in a growing economy like Nigeria.”

On his part, the chairman, planning committee, Andrew Akinbodewa, said, “we intend to use this year’s event as a test run for a proposed Lagos Visual Art Festival to the state government. The events will also celebrate two of our established fellows Chief Nike Okundaye and Dr. Ademola Azeez. The story of Nigerian arts is incomplete without the creative and cultural signature of Nike Art. She is an iconic woman, art promoter, philanthropist and global brand whose evolutional story and creative inclination transcends the shores of Africa. Dr. Ademola Azeez is an established artist in both theory and practice. He’s a research fellow whose scholarly contributions have imparted greatly to modern art education. This is our own little way to say thank you to the two achievers for this year.”

On August 17, the events will climax with a plein-air (outdoor) exercise at the National Stadium, Surulere under bridge. Here, established and young masters will display what they know how to do best in form of demonstrations in painting, drawing, sculpting and so on. It is hoped that the mentees (young masters) will deepen their creative repertoires and be exposed to practical display of different genres both in content and context.

The Vice Chairman, SNA Lagos, Olojo Kosoko said, “the exercise is also a direct effort to sensitise the public on what we do, how we do it and the methodological approaches involved.”We hope that all these embedded activities will create more synergy between the artists themselves and the public at large.”