smARTpower
2012 | Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria
PROJECT PARTNERS:
-
U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
-
Bronx Museum
-
University of Lagos
-
Women and Youth Art Foundation
Creative collaboration and building community in Lagos, Nigeria
In 2012, the U.S. Department of State’s smARTpower initiative sent fifteen U.S. artists abroad to create community-based art projects with local artists and young people. Brett Cook’s project in Lagos, Nigeria included a series of multifaceted workshops that centered the collaborative creation of artifacts, celebrations, public art installations, and digital documentation to foster new connections and build community.
Participants modeled inherently transformative ideas about what the practice of art could be, its societal benefits, and how it can be a force for personal discovery and mutual understanding. Through the exploration of progressive educational philosophies, innovative democratic theory, and diverse contemplative exercises, participants reflected upon personal identity within their diverse and overlapping communities and created public artworks and community celebrations that expressed a variety of cultural and aesthetic positions.
Sharing Culture: Brett Cook in Nigeria
Video by RAVA Films for smARTpower
Video by RAVA Films for smARTpower
Video by RAVA Films for smARTpower
SELECTED WORKSHOPS AND COLLABORATIONS IN IBADAN AND LAGOS
All Saints’ College, Ibadan, Nigeria
Defining Collaboration with Mindfulness
Day 1 Lesson: Collaboration
Participants utilized contemplative education strategies, participant generated review protocols, and mindfulness to generate ideal Collaboration statements. The collaborative exercises from this highly interactive workshop were the foundations of the entire Sharing Culture workshop.
Day 1 - Defining Collaboration with Mindfulness. Here using raisins from the other side of the planet to practice Mindfulness in Ibadan - the practice of peace.
Listening to Fear Not For Man - Fela Kuti, Fear Not Of Man - Mos Def and learning non fearing through playing Exquisite Corpse.
Using our peer generated rubrics, we assessed the Exquisite Corpse Exercise, noting how we could improve with compassion.
Participants worked in groups and generated self portraits and statements about community for each letter of the Alphabet - an exercise inspired by/adapted from the work of Wendy Ewald. Participants were forced to interact and work with each other in determining and achieving the outcomes of their alphabets.
Through discussing their alphabets, groups collaboratively generated ideas for the photographs they became better friends.
Through discussing their alphabets, groups collaboratively generated ideas for the photographs they became better friends.
Explore more of the Ibadan lesson plans:
Day 2: Seeing Self in Community
Day 3: Community, Collaboration, and Identity of Interbeing
University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
In collaboration with the Woman and Youth Arts Foundation, I facilitated a multifaceted workshop that included collaborative creation of artifacts, celebrations, public art installations, and digital documentation to foster new connections and build community. Participants were from the University of Lagos community and modeled inherently transformative ideas about what the practice of art can be, its societal benefits, and how it can be a force for personal discovery and mutual understanding. Through the exploration of progressive educational philosophies, innovative democratic theory, and diverse contemplative exercises participants reflected upon personal identity within their communities and created public artworks and a community celebration that expressed a variety of cultural and aesthetic positions.
Day 1 - Mindfully eating raisins to begin our collaboration - with a majority of people who haven't eaten raisins or meditated before. "Tasted like coconut and honey and made me relax."
Collaborating on "Collaboration" and “Community” rubrics. Participants utilized contemplative education strategies and participant generated review protocols to generate ideal Collaboration and Community statements. The collaborative exercises from this highly interactive workshop were the foundations of the entire Sharing Culture workshop.
The attendees where broken into five random groups. Participants generated statements about community for each letter of the Alphabet - an exercise inspired by/adapted from the work of Wendy Ewald. Participants were forced to interact and work with each other in determining and achieving the outcomes of their alphabets. Through discussing their alphabets, groups collaboratively generated ideas for the photographs they would create next.
The work demanded deep understanding, and encouraged both collaborative learning and individual autonomy. The workshop ended with each participant sharing their reflections on the day, their experience of working on the community alphabets, and how the exercise is a transformative.
Nurturing People and Ideas
University of Lagos (UNILAG) Permanent Public Installation
Nurturing People and Ideas was a multifaceted process of community building that included the collaborative development of a large-scale public artwork at the University of Lagos, featuring University of Lagos students, staff, and community. Nurturing People and Ideas represents my evolving conception of collaboration and art making as a framework for transformation that includes social relevance and localized solutions. The culminating public painting represents a synthesis of participant generated photographs and writing from the 2012 Sharing Culture/smARTpower Workshop at the University of Lagos, April 2012.
Chosen photos from this exercise were then used as inspiration for personal reflection statements about “nurturing people and ideas in the world” – this theme for University of Lagos’ 50th anniversary (which was 2012).
Upon return to Oakland the original ink drawing was enlarged and partially painted. Spray Enamel on prepared non woven media12' X 25' May 8, 2012
The work was then shipped back to Nigeria for installation at the Center for Creative Arts, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Working with assistants hot and high in the air, May 30, 2012. Despite (unrelated) student protest, electricity outages, the onset of malaria symptoms, and heat, we installed the last sheet of non-woven media. June 1, 2012.
Nurturing People, and Ideas Celebration, Department of Creative Arts, UNILAG NIgeria.
June 8, 2012
Community and Interconnectedness monuments built out of clay with primary school students.
Nurturing People, and Ideas Celebration
June 8, 2012
Nurturing People and Ideas
With Sunday Isreal Akpan, faculty and students of UNILAG, primary school students and Art 21 Film Crew. June 8, 2012