Adeyemi,, Queensland Catch Them Young

FOR two days from June 27 to 29, 2013, works from artist and teacher, Dr. Kunle Adeyemi’s workshop with pupils of Queensland Academy, Okota, will be shown at the school’s gallery in Okota, Lagos.

In collaboration with the art teachers of the school, Adeyemi, a senior art lecturer at Yaba College of Technology, had, for several weeks taken the pupils through areas of art such as painting and printmaking under the theme Catch them young.
During a preview of the art exhibition some of the works said to have been produced by the pupils explain the value of giving the young ones art education at an early age at both primary and secondary schools.

Adeyemi stated that the young artists at Queensland should consider themselves lucky for being exposed so early.  He argued that even though “I was not exposed to art until i, reached Form-5, I am still able to come this far.”

Head of the primary school section, Mrs Christiana Ogunkoya who noted that art promotes creativity, generally, argued that “because art is in every part of life, it plays significant role in creativity”.
A member of the school’s governing council, Siyanbola Oladapo stated that the structuring and planning of the school indicates that its founder believe in creativity. He disclosed that Queensland is set to change the Nigerian academic environment by taking interest in vocational studies. He noted that lack of creativity is one of the major reason for Nigeria’s under-development. “Though Nigeria produces fantastic academicians such as First Class holders, but I believe in First Class brains”.

This much, he explained, is the focus of the school, adding that “students from our school are best in whatever they do since our 25 years of existence”.

From his report on the workshop, Adeyemi writes: “All I have done is to give a better moderation, stratify the workshop in age form and develop the children’s mind not only on the narrow path of becoming artist but be what they would want to be in future with a prism of laying emphasis on planning, order and execution that will enhance good aesthetics for a global competition.”

He listed as objectives of the workshop “eduucate, train and put together school children from Queensland Academy who would be independent thinkers with courage to go beyond group mentality, plagiarism, copying or repetition of works that extend the experiences of parents and observers.
“To create room for ‘new’ expression in art production through newly discovered ‘young’ hands that has never in life gone through the rigorous art training practice. They have the singular advantages of expressing themselves in the way the society and life treats them.

Adeyemi explained that in a short time “I discovered that it will be a good avenue and advocacy for the age long child art concept. The synergy at the workshop experiment are new and vibrant which lead to the creation of an inventive body of work in visual arts that may to the creation of a newly independent vocabulary of pure form that is local in content yet global in context. Also, it has so far helped in engaging and soliciting a responsible propagation of visual arts within a creative and viable atmosphere.
“It has helped in fostering the development and exposure of the children by creating and enabling them to maintain a decent life of hard work, etiquette and entrepreneurial practice