Artists and painters say they have a huge role to play in Ghana’s Year of Return initiative. They are therefore calling on the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to set up robust mechanisms that support and promote the work of local artists and painters during this period.
The artists are also calling on the Ministry to build the capacities of artists through constant training workshops and seminars while supporting them to travel to understudy renowned artists across the globe.
Speaking to GBC prior to his first solo Art Exhibition, a Canvas Artist, Matthew Yiribertuore Delay based in the Upper West Region said it is unfortunate that artists are not able to subsist on their work explaining that “come to my region [Upper West Region] for instance, canvas art is not widely known”.
Mr. Delay added that art pieces may be termed as expensive because of the relatively high prices of paint, canvas and also, the man hours involved in creating art pieces. “There isn’t really much support. Although some corporate companies do, it is not wide spread. If you take me for instance, it is my mother that is helping me, she is my manager. She does most of my payments for me. If I need materials, she sponsors me”.
He continued to say that in pricing art works, “we consider the price, we consider the materials used on the piece. For instance, you cannot compare a 2-inch by 2-inch art piece to a 4-inch by 4-inch art piece. The materials used would differ. Other times, the concept of the piece can determine the price”.
Matthew Delay is a 26 year old trained teacher from the University of Education, Winneba. At the university, he pursued Arts Education. He attended Wa Model Primary and JHS for his basic school education and went to Katon Senior High School where he studied Visual Arts. Over the years, Mathew Delay has honed his skills in painting and creating other art works.
On his birthday November 23, 2019, the artist is expected to display over 200 pieces of canvas arts he has done over the years. The exhibition will be the first ever Arts Exhibition in the Upper West Region. As part of the exhibition, the artiste hopes to auction his work at a minimum of 150 Ghana-Cedis.
Mr. Delay appealed to corporate bodies and all residents in the Upper West to support his work by visiting the Art Exhibition and acquiring art pieces for their homes and offices.
Story filed by Mark Smith
