New Directions

Volume 11 | Issue 1 Article 7

10-1-1983

Growth of African Contemporary Art: TheHoward ConnectionKwaku Ofori-Ansah

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Recommended CitationOfori-Ansah, Kwaku (1983) "Growth of African Contemporary Art: The Howard Connection," New Directions: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article7.Available at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol11/iss1/7

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The Growth of AfricanContemporary Art:

36 The Howard ConnectionBy Kwaku Ofori-Ansah

Way back when the upsurgeof cultural nationalism in-spired the opening up ofnew frontiers in African

visual arts, Howard University wasready to make significant contribution.Its College of Fine Arts had by then builta firm Pan-African oriented academicand cultural base on which was mountedthe effort to promote the study and prac-tice of African contemporary visual arts.There was in place a politically stimulat-ing environment conducive to the nur-turing of a new breed of visual artists-young men and women in search of ad-vanced training compatible with thespirit of the cultural renaissance thenflowering in Africa.

The university's contribution was in linewith its traditional commitment to thedevelopment of the Black world. It was acommitment set in place by pioneer ad-vocates of Pan-African cultural orienta-tions, notable among them, Alain Locke,who in the 1920s implored African-American artists to "look to the art of theancestors" for creative inspiration. 1 By1923, with the establishment of anautonomous Art Department (pioneeredby James V Herring), a strong foundationwas laid for the study of African art. Thateffort was reinforced by the donation ofLocke's collection of authentic Africanart to the Art Department. Interest wassoon extended to the new forms of visualcreativity that were taking shape inAfrica.

The effort to stimulate the growth of[that] interest in Africa's new art was con-fronted with mitigating circumstances.In 1950, despite a high prevalence of nega-tive public perception of Africa and ofAfrican contemporary art, Mordecai WJohnson, then the President of HowardUniversity, braved all odds and encour-aged the Harmon Foundation to success-

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fully mount what was perhaps the firstinstitutionally supported exhibition ofAfrican contemporary art in the UnitedStates. Works of Ben Enwonwu, a pio-neering contemporary artist from Ni-geria, were exhibited at Howard Univer-sity? Although Enwonwu had been ac-claimed as an excellent artist in Europeand Africa and had exhibited in majorEuropean galleries, the Harmon Founda-tion found it difficult to obtain an estab-lished gallery in the United States to ac-cept the exhibition.' Misconceptions andignorance on the part of the American artestablishment thwarted efforts to intro-duce African art and artists into theAmerican art consciousness. Connois-seurs of art saw African contemporary art"not as a serious creative effort but as asociological commentary on Africa. "4

The problem was exacerbated by the ab-sence of adequate social mechanisms forcontact between Africans and African-Americans. It was a period in which cul-tural exchanges between African artistson the continent and African-Americanartists occurred on a minimal level.Carroll Green recognized the problemwhen he wrote: "In this day, when mostAfro- American artists went abroad, they,like their white counterparts, went toEurope, not, Africa. 115 Evelyn Brown, thenthe assistant director of the HarmonFoundation, assessed the situation thus:Africa was to most of our people a faraway place of adventure, Safari andmining interest. Only a small handful ofcultural organizations in the U. S. werewilling to work with the Foundation onAfrica's contemporary art even from asociological base. 6

The handful of African-American artists,among them Elton Fax, John Biggers,Larry Eskine Thomas and Louise Jeffer-son, who in the 1950s visited Africa,hardly made any significant impact onthe perception of African-American artwithin the art circles in Africa. The cul-

tural communication gap posed a signifi-cant problem to the promotion of mutualawareness about new artistic devel-opments in the Black world.

The problem, however, was surmount-able. In 1960, Forrester B. Washington,then retired dean of the Atlanta Univer-sity School of Social Work, set the pace forthe intensification of American publicinterest in African contemporary art. Itwas his compilation of names of Africancontemporary artists, published by theHarmon Foundation, that triggeredfurther interest in the visual arts of theemerging nations of Africa. And in 1962,the Harmon Foundation in cooperationwith the Phelps-Stokes Fund, mountedan exhibition of nearly 200 pieces of vari-ous forms of contemporary visual artfrom Africa. In the words of EvelynBrown, "It was a 'broadcast' viewing ofAfrican contemporary art. It showed artwas alive and that the artist was making afresh and sincere exploration in the soci-ety "?

Thus the living art of new Africa strug-gled to find its way into the hearts andminds of the American public. The waywas paved for an increasing interest in thestudy and patronage of African art. Andwith the merger of Howard's School ofMusic and the Department of Art andDrama into a larger College of Fine Artsin 1960, the university became a choicetraining ground for young African con-temporary artists.

Howard's commitment to the develop-ment of the Black world was further rein-forced by the social currents of the 1960s.The resurgenceof Black political and cul-tural consciousness during the height ofthe Civil Rights Movement and a corre-sponding political awakening in Africagenerated a quest for the truth aboutAfrica's cultural heritage. And the ensu-ing quest for African-American culturalheritage reinforced the artistic bond be-tween Africans on the Continent andthose in the African diaspora. Indeed, thecultural emancipation that followedopened the way for the development ofpositive attitudes towards Africa. JamesPorter, in 1969, wrote:Some Afro-American intellectuals havesought nurture in black Africa's inci-pient cultural upsurge. Fascinated by theglittering values of "negritude" and bythe unveiling of a new "African Personal-ity" they began to reassess their al-legiance to the dynamic phases of theAfrican Heritage of soul and culture. 8

~~IIscItaI

A decade later, JeffDonaldson, artist andart historian, described it as a period in

c1

which African-American artists of allpersuasions were influenced by "the ex-panded knowledge and understanding ofAfrica revealed by Black studies pro-grams. Cultural Nationalism, Pan-Afri-can hegemony and Black unity becamehousehold, sound and studio words."?

In the spirit of this cultural revolution,Howard's College of Fine Arts providedthe intellectual leadership for the rein-terpretation and reaffirmation of the cul-tural unity among all African peoples.The liberating force inspired new ener-

Brotherhood- Agbo Folarin

gies and artistic values. Staffed by a newcrop of lecturers, technically skillful andpolitically aware, the Department of Artbecame a fertile ground for the nurturingof an artistic philosophy and an aca-demic program distinctly Pan-African insubstance yet universal in quality. Theupsurge of African-American reaffirms-tion of the African heritage became, as anecessity, overtly manifested in the de-partments's academic and studio pro-grams.

Indeed, Howard University was living upto its reputation as "the center radiatingthe special influence of leadership andenlightenment which a culturally or-ganized people needs. "10 The process wasgiven a new dimension when JeffDonaldson became chairman of the De-partment of Art in the early 1970s. Withsupport from Vada E. Butcher, then thedean of the College of Fine Arts,Donaldson intensified the Pan-Africantone of the department's studio andacademic programs. The African ArtHistory program was strengthened andits scope widened to reflect changing so-cial circumstances in the Black world.Through Donaldson's initiative, African

scholars and practicing artists were ap-pointed to the faculty. One of them, KojoFosu, a Ghanaian culturalist, became in-strumental in giving the African ArtHistory Program a new direction andnew emphasis. The intensity of the pro-gram was further heightened by thepresence on the faculty of the interna-tionally acclaimed contemporary Afri-can artist, Skunder Boghassian ofEthiopia. His artistic philosophy andunique stylistic approach provided apractical evidence of the nature and di-rection of Africa's new visual arts.

It was a period in which Howard rein-forced its role as the facilitator and theintellectual source for the study of thenew creative arts in the Black world.Thus the Department of Art became apacesetter in the propagation of an artis-tic philosophy that became known as"Afrocentric" or more aptly termed"TransAfrican Art". 11 A practical man-ifestation of this artistic affinity with Af-rica became evident within the stylisticapproaches of faculty members of theDepartment of Art.

The academic environment which How-ard provided was not available in mostart institutions in Africa. Though sig-nificant curriculum changes were madein many art institutions during thepost-independence period, much was leftto be done. It was a period when mostAfrican countries were going through apost-independence cultural withdrawalsyndrome. The cultural education pro-grams inherited from the colonial paststill remained in their European moldsand lacked a distinct African flavor. Thestudy of African traditional art was notgiven serious attention. As a result, most

art institutions in Africa didtheir own galleries to support ,..;~--.= '''-',.-;0-of African art. Three signiflcan; ,-:e: -

ples can be cited:

In Ghana, the Art Department :::::ESpecialist Training College, 0I!e - - -

pioneering art teachers coll - -did not, (and still does not) 0\ ::lG.": -=-devoted to the study of African ~_~curriculum, the study of tradiri - - - :.rican art was subordinated to 2-

world art history.

Similarly, the College of Fine Arts -Ghana's prestigious University 0

ence and Technology, one of the 01art institutions in African did not anstill does not) have a permanent collec-tion of authentic traditional African anto support any meaningful study of thesubject.

In Nigeria, it was not until 1982 that theCollege of Fine Arts of Ahmadu BelloUniversity (also a leading art institution)established its first gallery of African art.As for the study of contemporary visualarts from the Black world, it was almostnon-existent in most art institutions inAfrica.

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With the absence of Pan-African orientedcultural education programs in theirown institutions, many young Africancontemporary artists began to look be-yond the borders of their countries foradvanced training-particularly thoseartists who "had began to show a criticalsense of appreciation for the universalcultural links of Africans and a precisedirection of African artistic thought.">For many such artists, the United Statesprovided a more stimulating academicand cultural environment. Instead ofBritain's Slade·School of Art, Royal Col-lege of Art, or Goldsmith College of Art,they (especially those from English-speaking countries) headed for the U.S.where they found sources from which tosearch for artistic ideals compatible withthe new spirit of cultural nationalismthen flowering in Africa. And HowardUniversity provided a fertile soil for theprofessional growth they were pursuing.

The University provided an environ-ment that opened lines of communica-tion among African artists on the conti-nent and those in the African diaspora.In 1977, Howard hosted one of the largestand the most comprehensive exhibitionsof African contemporary art ever held inthe U.S. in recent times. Works of 47outstanding artists from IS Africancountries were exhibited at the gallery ofthe College of Fine Arts. The show rep-

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resented a true reflection of Howard'scommitment to the promotion of thestudy and practice of African visual arts-past and present. It is this commit-ment that manifests itself in the hospi-tality often extended to African contem-porary artists who come to Howard insearch of advanced skills and knowledge.

Within a period of a little over a decade(from the late 1960s to the early 1980s)scores of contemporary artists from vari-ous African countries have successfullycompleted degree courses at Howard.They came from Nigeria, Ghana,Ethiopia, Zaire and Sierra Leone.

The unique training that Howard offeredthese young artists spurred them on togreater achievements in their respectiveareas. While some are now zealouslypursuing their artistic careers abroad,others have assumed responsible po-sitions in their home countries wherethey are infusing into the artistic con-sciousness of their societies a new spiritof creative expression. Their perform-ance in their respective endeavors bearstestimony to the unique cultural andacademic experience Howard offeredthese young artists and continues toprovide others who continue to come forprofessional advancement. The depth ofthat experience was eloquently ex-pressed by [Ghanaian] KwabenaAmpofo-Anti, a 1982 (MFA) graduate:[. .. I can say with conviction thatwhen I entered Howard University in-teracting with the faculty began to havea very positive effect on me.) My pres-ence at Howard allowed me an under-standing which led to unequivocaldefinitions of my artistic principles. AtHoward, I acquired a sensibility whichemphasized an indepth understandingof the origins and parameters of Africanculture. 13

His statement, indeed, is an apt sum-mary of the experiences of other Africancontemporary artists who received ad-vanced training at Howard.

The works of some of these Howard-trained artists are presented and dis-cussed here. While their individual crea-tive expressions do not reflect amonolithic stylistic approach, these ar-tists have something in common: Adeeper understanding and respect fortheir rich African cultural heritage, andthe ability to draw from it the inspira-tion for creative visual expressions. OlaM. Oloidi, a painter/art historian fromNigeria, for example, shows a notabletransition from his earlier rigid represen-tational style and mundane subject mat-ter to a more flexible and expressive

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style that depicts the richness of Africanculture and tradition. The same can besaid of Alex Atta-Safo, a Ghanaiansculptor whose pre-Howard illustrativeand imitative style gave away to a moreexpressive carving technique and subjectmatter more in tune with his traditionalAfrican social thought.

Exemplifying Oloidi's stylistic transi-tion is his "Yoruba Festival" which stilladorns the hallway of the College of FineArts. In this oil painting (which reflectsthe theme of his master's degree thesis),Oloidi skillfully uses Yoruba traditionalcolor and figurative symbolism in pro-jecting the serenity of the spiritual as-pects of Yoruba ceremonies and at thesame time succeeds in portraying thegaiety of the social aspects. This effect isachieved by an impressionistic applica-tion of various tones of blues and greenscontrasted with patches of reds.

Working around a theme similar toOloidi's, but with a different medium,Atta-Safo, interprets in wood the essenceof African womanhood as enshrined inthe unwritten code of social conduct inhis traditional Akan society. With animproved carving technique acquired atHoward, Atta-Safo skillfully utilizes thedelightful textures of wood grain as a de-sign element. The message of this work"African Woman in Harmony," however,transcends aesthetic consideration.

The pre-Howard styles of Wosene Kosrofand Tesfaye Tessema were evidently in-spired by their Ethiopian cultural heri-tage and history. Their presence at How-ard, however, offered them the chance tostep beyond the confines of their respec-tive ethnic heritages and expand the pa-rameters of their creative expressions.

Acclaimed as a master of design, Kosrofsucceeds in blending his experiences inhis traditional Ethiopian social settingwith elements of his contemporary envi-ronment. Concepts and visual imagesfrom ancient Ethiopian caligraphy andhis Copto-Christian artistic tradition areskillfully intermixed with such contem-porary African-American cultural pat-terns as the rhythms of jazz. He followsin the footsteps of such earlier Sudanesemasters as Ahmed Shibrian and IbrahimSalahi (whose masterly use of Arabiccalligraphy and geometric and floral pat-terns is well acclaimed) and is inspiredby the style of his artistic mentor Skun-der Boghassian. Kosrof conscientiouslydraws on traditional Geez and Ahrnariccalligraphy to produce large-scale andminiature compositions on both canvasand goatskin. With this skillful blend oftraditional and modern visual imagery,

he creates abstract illusions of depthwith color and design. Kosrof considershimself having gone through a signific-ant stylistic transition from a period inwhich he used the Geez and Ahrnariccalligraphy as part of an qverall design,as evidenced by his 1980 "Black Poem,"to his present style in which thecalligraphy becomes more of a narrativeand a poetic component of his creation,as exemplified by his "The Train."

Kosrof, who currently lives in Washing-ton, D. c., continues to work and exhibitboth in the U.S. and other countries. Hisnumerous exhibitions and works in in-ternational collections (NationalMuseum of Ethiopia, Library of Con-gress, Rockefeller Collection) bear tes-timony to his reputation as an interna-tionally acclaimed African contempo-rary artist whose visual messages haveattracted universal acceptance.

Tesfaye Tessema, like his colleague Kos-rof, also came to Howard with a distinctstyle of expression rooted in his Ethio-pian artistic tradition. His style was in-spired by the Cop to-Byzantine designtraditions that characterized illuminatedmanuscripts of medieval Ethiopia. In his"Final Days" and "Prophet," painted in1972, Tessema combines decorativeabstract patterns with an impressivedisplay of color imagery. An array ofgeometric shapes of varied sizes, formsand shapes are intermingled withabstracted human images rendered invarious hues and tones of vibrant colors.Through this powerful imagery, Tessematransmits visual messages that arephilosophical in content yet aesthet-ically remarkable. The artistic splendorof the ancient Axum civilization and15th century Ethiopian rock-hewnchurches continue to provide him withan abundant source of creative inspira-tion, [and philosophical thought.]. Forhim, the Howard experience provided animpetus for further exploration into hisrich African cultural heritage. He says,"Howard opened my eyes and enhancedmy consciousness about the depth andthe richness of the roots of my art andthe beauty of its branches. "14

Tessema has gone through a significantstylistic transition since his graduationfrom Howard. His 1973 "The Ancestors"(which still adorns the corridors of How-ard's College of Fine Arts) exemplifieshis earlier style. His new style reflects amarriage between his traditional Africanartistic values and his current social ex-periences in an urban setting. He nowlives and works in Washington, D.c. His"Famine," which in 1978 attracted a fa-vorable review in the Washington Post,

and his "The God", painted in 1979,exemplify his present style and a shiftfrom a heavy reliance on Cop to-Byzantine images.

Imbued with the spirit of a Pan-Africancultural consciousness, Tessema joined ateam of muralists in using the architec-tural decorative symbolism of theNdebele people of Southern Africa togive a unique African touch to thecourtyard walls of the Smithsonian In-stitution's National Museum of AfricanArt in Washington, o.c. With his out-standing artistic gift, he helps to bringAfrican contemporary art closer to theAmerican people.

Kwabena Ampofo-Anti's creative ex-pressions have for a long time beenidentified with his Akan cultural heri-tage of Ghana. Before coming to Howard,he had a strong desire to develop an ar-tistic style and content that would re-flect a spiritual alliance with his Africancultural past. The Howard programhelped expand his artistic horizon andfulfill his goal. At Howard, he studiedthe interrelationship between ancientEgyptian artistic philosophy and that ofother African societies. As an aspect ofhis master's degree thesis, he investi-gated the structural qualities and philo-sophical relations of the Akan "Akuaba"(fertility symbol) and the ancient Egyp-tian "Ankh" (symbol of life). This is rep-resented by his three dimensional paint-ing "Ankhuaba". The outcome of hisstudy gave him a historical basis for hiscreative endeavor-a symbolic relation-ship between the Ankh and the Akuaba--':a relationship that is very much evi-dent in his current works.

Agbo Folarin, a versatile Nigerianpainter/sculptor, demonstrates a deep re-spect and understanding of his Yorubaculture and traditional values. Beforecoming to Howard, Folarin had scored aremarkable artistic achievement in hishome country. However, he was insearch of something that transcendstechnical proficiency At Howard, he wasushered into an academic and culturalenvironment that helped him broadenhis artistic horizon. His resolute convic-tion about the sophistication of Africa'sartistic heritage was furtherstrengthened by his experiences in theU.S., particularly at Howard.

Folarin, in his works, combines thesculptural medium with paintingcharacteristics and skillfully portraystraditional Yoruba religious andmythological imagery with modern ma-terials and techniques. His interest in ar-chitectural and environmental sculpture

is very much evident in his creativeexpressions.

The professional development andstylistic characteristics of theseHoward-trained African artists, thoughnot monolithic, are bound together by acommon thread. While they project dif-ferent cultural experiences into their re-spective stylistic approaches, togetherthey weave an artistic fabric that reflectsdistinct colors and texture that arecharacteristically Pan-African.

Indeed, the growth of African contempo-rary art would continue to show an evi-dence of Howard's nurturing-a nurtur-ing rooted in the university's naturalbond with Africa and in its traditionalcommitment to the development of theBlack world. President James E. Cheekemphasized the essence of this com-mitment when he wrote:... We see Howard as the crucible toformulate and bring creative and imag-inative processes to bear on the prob-lems of cities, the problems of humannations, the problems of educationaldisadvantage, the problems of eco-nomic insufficiency, the problems of in-adequate health care, and the problemsrelated to overcoming the lack ofknowledge, understanding and appreci-ation of Black Americans and Blackpeople throughout the world. 15

Indeed, such "creative and imaginativeprocesses" were brought to bear on theprofessional advancement of the youngAfrican contemporary artists whotrained at Howard. The remarkable con-tribution they are making to the devel-opment of African modern art, both inthe U.S. and elsewhere, owes a great dealto Howard's past and present nurturing.Today, African contemporary art hasgained a respectable image in the U.S. Inhomes, offices, public buildings, majormuseums and galleries, African modernart is placed alongside the best fromelsewhere. When, in 1950, PresidentMordecai W Johnson braved all odds andsupported the Harmon Foundation tomount at Howard University the firstAfrican contemporary art exhibition inthe U.S., an invaluable service was donenot only to the development of Pan-African cultural consciousness but alsoto the advancement of international cul-tural understanding. D

See color art on Cover 2.

Kwaku Ofori-Ansah, Ed.D. [MFA-Howard 1975J is alecturer and graphic designer.

REFERENCES1. Quoted in Green, Carroll. "The Black Artist

in America" "The Art Gallery Magazine.April, 1970, p. 11. See also Alain Locke, "TheLegacy of the Ancestral Arts," The NewNegro. New York: Antheneum, 1925, p. 225-267.

2. Brown, Evelyn. Africa's Contemporary Artand Artists. New York: The Harmon Founda-tion.1961.

3. The National Archives. Contemporary Afri-can Art from the Harmon Foundation. Wash-ington, D.C.: U.S. Printing Office, 1975621-155/2447-31

4. Ibid. p. 2.5. Green, op. cit. p.236. Brown, op. cit. p.57. Ibid. p.58. Porter, James A., Modern Negro Art. New

York: Arno Press, 1969, p. iv9. Donaldson, Jeff, "TransAfricanArt" The

Black Collegian. October/November, 1980,p.92

10. Locke, op. cit p. 255-26711. Donaldson, Jeff, op. cit. p. 98. The functional

definitions of these concepts and the signi-ficant difference between them are clearlypresented.

12. Fosu, Kojo, "New Trends in African Art:The Liberation of Symbolic Images" NewDirections. October, 1976. p. 32.

13. Arnpofo-Anti, Kwabena. Akuba - The Studyof the Evolution and Diversification of anAfrican-Akan Symbol. (A Master's degreethesis. Howard University, Department ofArt, College of Fine Arts, 1980·1

14. Tessema, Tesfaye, an interview with the ar-tist.

15. Cheek, James E., "A Four Year Report of thePresident on the Work of the University from1969 to 1973." p. 7.

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