Art Reception/Exhibition, Adugyama, Ghana, Sat. Oct. 31, 12-5pm

Art Reception/Exhibition

Hello Everyone,

You are cordially invited to a one day exhibit and reception of art work by Daniel Kerkhoff, the children of Adugyama, and guests.

When: Saturday, October 31st, 12pm to 5pm.

Where: The Area Council Hall, Adugyama, Ashanti Region, Ghana

Adugyama is 45 km northwest of Kumasi on the Sunyani Road. The Area Council Hall is across the street from the MTN tower.

We hope to see you there. Everyone is welcome!


Reception/Receptions

Reception n. 1. an act or process of receiving; a reaction to something.
2. an assembly held to receive guests. --Oxford English Mini Dictionary

Since April, I have been an artist-in residence in Adugyama,.Ghana and have been running an informal drop-in center for children, providing books, paper, pens, pencils, and colored pencils. Children from the neighborhood stop by, draw, and look at the books available.

An Artist and Her Drawing, Adugyama, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

The children are all ages and draw in a variety of eclectic styles. Some have focused on drawing animals, cars, airplanes, computers, houses, football players, scenes from village life, planets and stars, trees and nature scenes and many other things. Some have been drawing patterns, focusing on shapes and lines, and creating unique compositions. Many of their drawings will be in the exhibit, and you can see some of them on my flickr site, www.flickr.com.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23472741@N05/sets/72157617821705408/

Also, children/adults from Lisbon, Portugal; Mobile, Alabama, U.S.A. ; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. have also sent some artwork to the village and this will be included in the exhibit as well in The Obruoni Gallery.

I have been doing my own art using pens, pencils, a water color set, a ream of A4 computer paper, a gallon of acrylic house paint, the dirt and charcoal around his residence, and vegetable and palm oils. Many of my dirt paintings have evolved into large collages.

"Mekwabaa (Fermentation of the Cacao Pod) by Daniel Kerkhoff, Adugyama, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

These collages relate to my own preoccupations, interests in symbols and shapes, and my personal aesthetic sensibilities interweaving with my experiences in Ghana and the village of Adugyama. I see them as acts of receiving and discovery; they are my journal of witnessing that also honor those mysteries that transcend narrow definitions and rigid labeling.

Mortars and pestles, basins, yams, mobile phones, Adinkra symbols, cacao pods, footballs (soccer balls), stars, tea bags, benches, and ladders have all grabbed me in one way or another and made there way into these pieces. These large scale collages have also taken on a hide, animal skin-like quality. In November, I will fold them up, put them in my suitcase, and return with them back to the U.S. to show. Hopefully, they will become acts of sharing as well and become a part of the Great Weaving Project that has been going on for a long time now.

The children's art of Adugyama will be shown again in June, 2010 at Homewood Studios (www.homewoodstudios.com) in north Minneapolis, MInnesota. Homewood Studios is owned by George and Beverly Roberts who have stayed in the village of Adugyama and have many connections here. Their son, Andrew, was the Peace Corps volunteer in Adugyama for three years and the reason why I am here. Many thanks to them for introducing me to the people here, for all the work that they've done in the communities of Adugyama and north Minnneapolis, and for their encouragement.

I will also have a solo show of my art in June 2010 in north Minneapolis at The Warren-An Artist Habitat, www.thewarrenhabitat.com.

James Joyce had written, "History is a nightmare that I'm trying to wake up from." From Mankato, Minnesota to Adugyama, Ghana, to wherever you are, perhaps within the realm of the "nightmare", little "waking ups" are happening all the time. I use art and travel to try and wake myself up and also notice how much I am sleeping.

Ghana just won the FIFA under-twenty world championships beating Brazil in the final. The Ghana Black Satellites are the first African team to win the championship. Everyone is excited here. I watched the match in Adugyama (Adugyama just got electricity 10 years ago). I was with five boys, Yaw Bimpe, Kwaku Baah, Sadick, Yaw Gyamfi, and Agya. They were dancing, clapping, and shouting in our room and it was an amazing moment for them. Nana and Auntie Bea came in the room and celebrated as well. I took their photos, witnessed this moment, and will take it back with me along with so many other moments.

Many thanks to everyone I met and got to know in Ghana and to those of you reading and commenting on the blogs and photos. Many thanks to my family and friends for all of their support. And a special thanks to the people in Adugyama who helped me so much and shared so much of their lives with me; the family I lived with--Mr. Atta, Auntie Bea, Nana, Rose, Becky, Sara, Ama, Yaw Bimpe, Kwaku Baah, Jennifer, and Sandra. Meda se Pa Paa, Thank you very much!

Over the winter, I'll continue blogging, uploading more photos, reflecting on my experiences here and doing more art.

You can follow along at

http://danielkerkhoff.blogspot.com/
http://thejuderockfish.blogspot.com/

And my photos: www.flickr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23472741@N05/

Nante Yie (walk well, safe journey), Keep in touch! --Daniel

Daniel Kerkhoff
Ph. 0278913055
rockfish65@yahoo.com
www.danielkerkhoff.com
http://mnartists.org/daniel_kerkhoff

Sirigu, SWOPA, Bongo--Northern Ghana

On Monday, July 27th, I went to Sirigu, a village north of Bolgatanga where the Sirigu Women Organization for Pottery and Art(SWOPA) is located.

I first heard about SWOPA when I saw their paintings at the Loom Gallery in Accra back in February. The paintings on canvas are done in the traditional styles that resemble the wall paintings on their adobe homes. Colors are mainly earth tones of browns, blacks and whites with strong geometric shapes and symbols of animals (cows, pythons, crocodiles, chickens, fish). The geometric symbols may represent a broken calabash, or a male or a female.

A Member of SWOPA Painting on Canvas
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

SWOPA was founded by Melanie Kasise, who is the first woman in the community to receive a higher education. It is composed of women who will often work as a group on a painting. They are also experiementing with newer styles and their free styles which includes more colors. Their pottery consists of many styles as well, and SWOPA had a nice shop with very affordable prices.

The Guesthouse at SWOPA, Sirigu, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

I went on a tour and was shown different styles of houses. The homesteads I saw were drying millet and shea nuts. I tried some of the dried millet and it was quite tasty and crunchy. The homesteads also had silos to store the millet and adobe walled pens for their goats and chickens. The women were also applying black tar to their houses. I saw many women going to and fro from SWOPA with cans of black tar.

Rooms in a Housing Compound, Sirigu, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

The homes had very unique doorways (photo above). They were created for protection during the slave trade. Whoever entered had to crawl to get in, thus leaving themselves vulnerable to a big whack on the head.

I went back to Sirigu again on Thursday, Sept. 24th and saw Asoikipala again. It was market day and she was busy preparing fried yams to sell. We walked through the market saying "Toma"(hello)to everyone. I bought some handmade ropes and also some kola nuts that I've read so much about. They are used a lot by workers because they give you energy. I ate one which was on the bitter side making my mouth dry. I didn't really notice a burst of energy and maybe should have tried some more to get their affects.

I did try their locally brewed millet beer called Pito. Asokipala and I stopped at an outdoor place where a woman had a large plastic barrel of Pito with many calabash bowls. She gave me a good amount in my bowl and we drank while talking with some of the men there. They enjoyed watching me try the millet brew. It was yeasty and looked maybe a little similar to a hefeweizen but with a bit stronger yeasty taste.

Besides the beautifully painted houses, Sirigu is also famous for "the elaborate facial scarring--almost like a spider's web in complexity--practised by the Nakarisi people (Ghana Bradt Guide, p.375).

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Bongo, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

On July 26th, also a day trip from Bolgatanga, I went to Bongo, famous for the baobab trees and incredible rock formations. Some children met me along the way and escorted me through these amazing scupture-gardenesque rocks and trees. There were many grazing sheep and cows which gave the place a pastoral, almost English countryside feel that reminded me of the land of the Hobbits. We climbed up a hill and had incredible views of the countryside. It was definately an other worldy experience that felt like being in some kind of fairy tale book.

Bongo, Ghana
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

These are notes I took from a Ghana travel magazine (I don't remember its name) while I ate in a restaurant in Accra:

The baobob tree--its leaves contain vitamin C, sugar, potassium, calcium, leaves are cooked or crushed for later use. Seeds roasted as a coffee substitute. Baobob tree is an object of worship by Africans in the savannas. It has a foul smell. Its parts were used to ward off evil spirits. The baobob tree is a sacred tree and is also called God's thumb. It has a long life, can survive long periods of time without water and has many uses. People make soap, necklaces, glue, rubber, medicine, and cloth from the baobob tree. The spirits inhabit the flower of the baobob. Some believe if you pick a flower, you will be eaten by a lion. Drink an infusion of the bark and a man will become strong. Baby boys bathed in this infusion to become strong. Witches have their nocturnal meetings at the top of the tree.

Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, July 17th-24th, Sept. 20-23rd, 2009

I went to Burkina Faso primarily to get my visa stamped for another two months. I had to leave Ghana after being there for six months, and I was curious about Burkina. If I had more time, energy and resources, I would have loved to look around more and go to Mali as well.

Burkina Faso is a French speaking country and its "Frenchness" seemed very apparent from the sidewalk cafes with baguettes, bowls of cafe au laits, wonderfully sweet and fresh yogurts, and the scooters and bicycles zooming by with many stylish, colorfully dressed women wearing sun glasses. And then there's also the ever present prevalence of les cigarettes which is a rarity in Ghana, at least smoking en publique.

I walked around Ouagadougou(pron. Wuagadoogoo), the largest city in Burkina Faso, and the architecture frequently caught my eye. There were many unique styles evoking mid-century modern, sixties Vegas to architecture that reflected the landscape which reminded me of architecture from New Mexico in the U.S.; adobe styles with curves much like the buildings in villages. The photo below is an example that also reminded me of Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

On the way to the STMB bus station, I came across this avenue lined with carved trees that were a visual treat. I wish I could tell you who did them and how they came to being. There must have twelve trees in the area with different carvings of people, animals, and sayings.

A Carved Tree in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

Near the STMB bus station, I also come across a restaurant/bar called Baratapas. It is full of junk metal scuptures and paintings. I meet the owner from France and he tells me he commissions some of the pieces and also lets artists store their work there. I enjoy looking around and he says it's okay to take pictures. I drink a bissap, which is a non-alcoholic drink that tastes like a sangria.

I return in September just for a couple of days and come across an artisans shop for people with disabilities called Tigoung Nonma. Tigoung Nonma (tigoung.nonma@gmail.com) is also connected with Handicap Solidaire Burkina (www.handicapsolidaire.ch/burkina). I walk in and a man shows me some of the jewelry and other craft items he has made and I get a couple items. The artisan's name is Dabre Issa Guerrier. He's very enthusiastic about the center and wants me to meet an English woman who is volunteering there. I end up going to the main shop and get an motorcycle crafted out of metal and Nescafe cans. The woman working the shop is practicing her English and does quite well because my French is so poor. It was quite the creative place with a great spirit. I talked with the English woman for awhile and she told me how many of the people at the center had their houses destroyed by the recent heavy flooding. She and her organization were able to raise some funds to help them out, but it was a devastating summer. After visiting in the shop, I drank a coffee at their little cafe outside and then moved along.

In July, I also went to Bobo-Dioulasso for three days. Bobo is southwest of Ouaga about a four hour bus ride. The European Union help fund the highway and it was very new and smooth riding. Bobo is smaller and quieter than Ouaga and I spent a lot of time enjoying bakeries and cafes. It was a nice place to relax.

In Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso at a Total Gas Station
Originally uploaded by Daniel Kerkhoff

I came in to this Total gas station in Bobo-Dioulasso to buy some water and thought she was the most elegant gas station attendant I had ever seen, so I asked her if I could take her picture. Her eyebrows are also the fashion of Burkina with some women having even more pronounced and darker lines