Exhibition: Arts Works Can Improve Our Economy -Prof. Ogunduyile
By Olusegun HOSEA.24th August, 2024.
The works of art is very significant in our society due to the creativity aspects of it of which an Artist explore to create different versions of artistic works for the humanity. In an exhibition of the arts work put together by the Chief Executive officer of the Dolapo Art Gallery, Eminent Artist Oladotun Fadeni today at Akure titled ” Festival of Colours” which was declared opened by Professor Sunday Ogunduyile of the Federal University of Technology -FUTA, Akure and former Vice Chancellor Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State said art work could improved our economy through it’s creativity and production.
Speaking with the Exponent Magazine News-Online in an interview, Prof.Ogunduyile explained various types of artistic works to include ceramics, textiles and graphics .He said that the vehicle design are parts of the works of an artist. The Professor who advocated for the support of the ceramics produced by our local Artists by the government , said if this part of the work could be supported, Nigeria government and other individuals would not have to import ceramics into the country any longer .
According to him, most of the ceramics being used in most of the houses are being imported from country like Chinna, and other countries which supposed not to be so. He believed that if the government could boosted the local production, this would go along way in improving our economy. Prof. said .
In another development, Prof. Ogunduyile opined that there a lot of industrial design coming out from the art works like “Adire Fabric ” a local textiles production of an Art work that is being made by the good people of Nigeria in the Southern part of the country. He explained that those producing the Adire Fabric are making their money. While explaining, he said that the exhibitor displayed some of the similar fabric would have brought a lot of money to the exhibitor if it were been done in a bigger city . His words ” An exhibition of this nature, also has its way if it were to be in a bigger city , at least some money will be made from it and where taxes are to be paid to the government. Even apart from paying taxes, he can also make some money to improve himself, his family and the society at large.”
Similarly, Prof. Ogunduyile made us to understand that Art has to do with production and that most of the decorations we found on the street Architecture in a big cities improved the works of the Artist. He said that those street cities art Architecture added to the beauty of the cities and also contribute economically to the development of those cities. He said the textiles design that is made locally are also contributing their own quota to the development of the economy while those artist are also making their own money through their works .
According to him, the introduction of the massive production of textiles by the Chinese doesn’t stopped those producing locally like people from Abeokuta from making their own money as they tool have away of making money through their local production of Adire Fabric thereby contributing to the development of our economy.
Professor Ogunduyile said government should trying to come in by improving the work of an Art by changing the orientation of the people towards the Art work as the people perspective toward the profession was so poor . He said the Universities have art as a course of study in the University but hardly would you see people coming to study the cause.As students preferred to read law, Engineering and other courses like that.
He said those people that wants to read Art are creative people and they should be encouraged by way of providing them with the materials to be used in the Universities as those materials are not available and so government could come in, in this regards and you would see how many people would go into it.
He explained that some paints an Artist are using were been bought and where as Artist could research and produce their paints locally to carried out their work.He called on government to made most of those art materials available for the students in this field to perform better.
Although, the Prof. warmed that as an Artists, one need not to depends on government totally before getting their job done. He made reference to himself on how he sponsored himself to the Professorship level through his works of Art with the production of his works . He called on the government to made some modifications in the curriculum that would give the students an opportunity to work independently through their production of work of Art.
