Fine and Applied Arts | Fine and Applied Arts |
Page 1 of 6 BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT The Department was founded in 1961 with nearly all the art teachers being British or American. They instituted the Western academic approach of naturalism, which promoted pictorial observational realism. This brand of Western academic pedagogy was effectively terminated when the expatriate art teachers left because of the Nigeria Civil war (1967-1970). After the civil war, students and faculty members reassembled and resolved that the art programme of the Department had to be reconstructed to meet the demand of the new Nigerian society. From this period, a new culture of exploration and experimentation of the local environment in art teaching and learning dominated art activities of the school. Staff and students searched deeply into the nature and purpose of art and design in their communities as well as applying the proceeds of these intellectual and artistic endeavours into social and technological development. The content of the art programme made room for the incorporation of indigenous ideas, motifs, designs and styles into art learning and production. With this goal in mind, the Department developed and popularized Igbo patterns for body and wall painting known as Uli. Uli Art paved way for the emergence of a completely new visual vocabulary in the Department. Thus, the art programme moved away from Western style naturalism to more abstract expression and other stylistic changes that responded appropriately with art experience in Nigeria. Reaction against external academic art was challenged in favour of Nigeria forms. This created both contemporary and modern art, while making room for accommodating new ideas. The effects of the new ideology were immense. Great efforts and enthusiasm were expanded to permeate this new concept into various sections of the Department, namely Sculpture, Painting, Ceramics, Textile and Visual Communication Designs. The Department runs three types of programmes for the award of Bachelors degree in Fine and Applied Arts: Four year, three year and two year standard programmes.· 1st year of the three year programme starts at 2nd year level , thereafter, students follows the regular 4 year programme at 3rd year level.· Two year standard programme follows the regular four year programme at 3rd year level. PHILOSOPHY The course of study at this department has been devised to enable our youths to re-discover themselves and dedicate their lives anew to the building of a strong nation. The discipline develops and exposes the students to multi-disciplinary dimensions of traditional and modern arts in order to produce the needed high level manpower in the country. The programme prepares students for self-employment and who would occupy high level academic positions in the various levels of educational institutions, research institutes as well as the cultural sectors of the nation’s economy. |
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