1

THE HISTORY OF SCULPTURE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS, ,

Chijioke Onuora Department of Fine and Applied Arts University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Abstract The story of the development of sculpture in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts (previously known as the Enwonwu College of Fine Arts), University of Nigeria, is a demonstration of the triumph of the ‘Natural Synthesis’ ideology of the Uche Okeke-led Art Society of the Art Society. The department, which was officially established in 1961, had in its programme courses, the completion of which led to the award of a Bachelor of Arts Degree. In the programme, students majored in sculpture or other areas of visual art. From 1965, when the first two sculpture major students graduated to 1994 which this paper discusses, one discovers how the dogged efforts of some lecturers helped to transform the sculpture teaching, learning and appreciation in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria. The objective of this paper therefore, is to historically and ideologically trace the gradual transformation of an academy styled sculpture department to a theoretical, experimental and African culture-influenced educational enterprise between 1961 and 1994. Key words: Sculpture, Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Introduction The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, admitted the first set of undergraduate students in October, 1960, and they were spread across the following six departments: History, English, Political Science, Economics, Social Science and Mathematics. A year later, precisely in September 1961, the College of Fine Arts was established under the Faculty of Technology, alongside the College of Home Economics, Engineering, Music, Physical Education and the College of Secretarial studies. Among the first set of lecturers to teach in the College of Fine Arts was Miss M.S. Dunlap, a graduate of the Rhode Island University and a holder of Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree from the University of Tulane. Others were Akinola Lasekan, the foremost Nigerian Cartoonist and Painter, and the two College of Science, Arts and Technology, Zaria trained painters, Oseloka Osadebe and Okechukwu Odita who joined the teaching staff later. During this early period of the establishment of the College of Fine Arts, Dr. Azikiwe tried without success to convince Ben Enwonwu, his townsman and the most experienced and visible modern sculptor in Africa, to accept a teaching appointment in the college (Oloidi, 2004). This meant that the College of Fine Arts of the University of Nigeria, which was named after this erudite sculptor, commenced teaching activities without the services of any trained sculptor. However, the objective of this paper is to trace the history and development of sculpture as a branch of study in Fine Arts, at the University of Nigeria, from the inception of the College in 1961 to 1994 when Uche Okeke’s five-year programme model was terminated. It would also put on the spotlight the lecturers who taught and influenced the sculpture graduates that the college produced within a space of three decades.

Pre-Civil War Sculpture Experiences Mr. I.P.D. Abaye (an Assistant Lecturer) was the first trained sculptor to join the teaching staff of the Enwonwu College of Fine Arts in 1963 (University of Nigeria Calendar, 1963-1964, p. 25). A product of the College of Arts and Science, Kumasi, Ghana, Abaye hailed from the Cross River area

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

2

of Nigeria. On arrival, he took charge of the sculpture related courses which included a second year course, Three Dimensional Design (FA 240) and four third year courses: Sculpture Production (FA 340), Sculpture Process I: Carving (FA 341A), Sculpture Process II: Modeling and Casting (FA 342A ) and Sculpture Process III: Construction (FA 343). The 1963-1964 University of Nigeria Calendar shows that as at that year, there were yet no defined courses for the 4th year (University of Nigeria Calendar 1963-1964, p. 173). Interestingly, during the 1964-1965 session, the Enwonwu College of Fine Arts was changed to the Department of Fine Arts and was grouped under the Faculty of Arts. Other departments in the faculty were the Departments of English, History and Archaeology, Journalism, Languages, Music and Philosophy (1964-1965 University of Nigeria Calendar). During that session, the following courses were added for the fourth year sculpture major students: Advanced Problems in Sculpture (FA 440), Sculpture Studio Project I (FA 445A ) Sculpture Studio Project II (FA 446BC) and Studio Symposium (FA 459). In the first part of the special studio project (FA 445A), each student developed a plan for his project during the first term and eventually executed the major work for assessment and exhibition by the end of the session. Studio symposium was seminar related, where aspects of contemporary art problems was researched on and presented by each student. This was the state of sculpture teaching in the Department of Fine Arts by the end of 1964/1965 session when I.P.D. Abaye left the services of the University. The pioneer students of the department graduated in 1965 (Nkememena, 1965), with two out of the five graduands majoring in sculpture. They were Alban Ugo Anyanwu and Samuel Okechukwu Nwafor (Fig. 1). Ngozi Anyakora, Samuel Dada and Anthony Morah specialized in Graphics. The Department of Fine Arts produced only two graduates in 1966 (Nkememena, 1966). They are Babatunde Lawal and Augustine Agbada who specialized in Painting and Sculpture, respectively. Though these sculpture graduates must be remembered for their pioneering role, their subsequent activities did not demonstrate any form of exceptional activism, industry or intellectualism. However, for a few cement sculptures located at the University Swimming Pool, the Continuing Education Center (C.E.C.) fountain pool, lawn around the administrative building and the sculpture garden of the Fine Arts department, not much has been heard of these pioneer sculpture graduates.

Fig.1. Alban Ugo Anyanwu and Samuel Okechukwu Nwafor. ©Nkememena.

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

3

On graduation, Samuel Nwafor was employed by the National Museum while Ugo Anyanwu joined the Ministry of Information and Culture, (Asogwa, 2013). Augustine Agbada, whose only surviving sculpture within the University premises is The Mermaid, located at the old swimming pool-site, eventually became a teacher with no major sculpture exhibition to his credit. Of the three pre-civil war sculpture graduates, Anyanwu seems to be the most visible, having been active in sculpture production during the 1970s and early 1980s as a result of the Mbari and Uli art experiments that became popular immediately after the Nigerian Civil War (Iroh, 1998, p. 10). An appraisal of the sculpture teaching and practice in the Department of Fine Arts, University of Nigeria, during the pre-civil war era, reveals very strong classical Euro-American influence which favoured naturalistic representation of ideas. Imported art materials were readily available for use, thereby discouraging the intensive use of local materials like wood which could have brought out the aesthetic flavor of classical traditional African sculpture. However, it is important to note here that the Fine Arts curriculum, as published in the 1966-1967 calendar (p.93), demonstrated the department’s intention to accommodate more indigenous ideas by including such courses as Art History, African Art (FA 316) for those majoring in sculpture and Special Project in Art History (FA 333) and Nigerian Art (FA 416) for those specializing in the newly established Art History section. Though no student benefited from this new programme before the pogrom of 1966 and the civil war that followed a year later, it formed a basis upon which a new programme was drawn up after the civil war ended in 1970. Also, the political atmosphere of the time did not allow the impact of the newly employed sculptor, F. C. Oluigbo, a 1963 sculpture graduate of the College of Science, Arts and Technology, Zaria, to be felt before the region was plunged into a thirty-month civil war. Nevertheless, some of the undergraduate students who could not graduate as a result of the Nigerian Civil War, returned to the University at the end of the hostilities to become the arrow head of the new direction which Uche Okeke and other members of staff enunciated in the 1970s.

1970-1979: A Period of Reorganization and Indigenization Immediately after the civil war, Vincent Amaefuna, F.C. Oluigbo and Mora were among the first of the pre-civil war lecturers to return to the Fine Arts department. Also, in December 1970, Uche Okeke, the man behind the formation of Zaria Art Society in 1957, joined the teaching staff of the department a few days after Chike Aniakor, another graduate of the Zaria Art School, was employed. As mentioned earlier, some of the undergraduate sculpture students of the late 1960s who were unable to graduate because of the civil war also returned with their other course mates. Among them were Ebirim, Chike Ochi and Paulinus Emejue who eventually graduated in 1971 and 1973, respectively. Chike Ochi won the Best Graduating student of Fine and Applied Arts prize and the prize for the best final year Sculptor in 1971. Other key art events of the early 1970s were the exhibition of Mbaise carvings, organized by the Association of Fine and Applied Arts Students (AFAAS) between 11th and 18th March, 1970 at the Continuing Education Center, University of Nigeria and an exhibition mounted by the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria to mark the visit of the Head of State of Nigeria, General Yakubu Gowon to the University in 1971 (University of Nigeria Annual Report, 1970-1971). When Uche Okeke assumed the headship of the department, a number of observable changes began to take place in the department. First, he championed the revision of the curriculum which focused on the African art environment as a major source of inspiration. Students were encouraged to travel to their local village settings to tap from their respective art cultures in order to enhance their

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

4

art practice. Also, the study of Art History and theory, especially those that emphasized the African art content, was encouraged. Steadily, as students were to write term papers and special projects on the art of their people, its effect began to manifest in their works. Still in 1971, the sculpture lecturer, Oluigbo left the services of the department due to severe health challenges and to fill in the gap created by his absence, another Kumasi trained sculptor, Uko Akpaide was employed by the university administration in 1973. In the same year, Paulinus Emejue, a 1973 sculpture graduate, became the first trained sculptor from the Nsukka art school to be appointed a junior fellow in the same department. Together with Akpaide and strong guidance from Uche Okeke, the study of sculpture got stronger, more radical and ambitious. A five-year academic programme was adopted for the department which had been renamed the Department of Fine and Applied Arts. In this programme, Basic Design (2 Dimensional – and 3-Dimensional) and the study of Art and Artists (Traditional and Contemporary) were some of the courses offered within the first two years of study. The sculpture courses for the third year included Sculpture Construction I (FA 332) and Methods and Materials of Sculptures I (FA 330). For the fourth year, the students offered Clay Sculpture (FA 431), Methods and Materials of Sculpture II (FA 430) and Special Project in Sculpture (FA 433). Other special courses offered during the fourth year included Museum Work (FA 458) and Techniques in Restoration (FA 457). The final year courses consisted of two studio courses, Clay Sculpture II (FA 531), Sculpture Construction II (FA 532) and two theory courses namely, History of African Arts II (FA 550) and History of African Arts III (FA 554). These courses created vast opportunities for students to be grounded both in the studio, art theory and history of art. A special written project on the art of the student’s locality formed part of every final year student’s engagement. By the middle of the 1970s, even though the naturalistic approach to sculpture was still noticeable, the peculiar African sculpture intervention attitude had began to take root as the impact of studies carried out on indigenous art and religious traditions became even more evident. Some of the written projects with sculpture related titles between 1970 and 1975 included Igbo Wood Sculpture (Ochi, 1971), Shrines in Ifite-Ukpo (Okoye, 1972), Igbo Masks of Ideani and Uke (Uchegbu, 1972), Igbo Traditional Sculpture (Emejue, 1973), Shrines, Cults and Deities in Ogidi (Nnoka, 1974) and Okonko Society in Orlu (Onwuanaku, 1976). Expectedly, and in line with the sub-saharan African art tradition, wood sculpture and stylized mode of representation of ideas and forms became the hallmark of sculptures from the Nsukka art school. Carving tools included axes, adzes, chisels and gouges of different sizes and shapes, sourced mainly from local blacksmiths. Furthermore, cement sculptures produced for outdoors included busts and full portraits of people as well as stylized representation of human activities. The new curriculum of the department ensured that for one to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Fine and Applied Arts, he had to undergo five years of training which, among other courses, included the basic knowledge of two and three dimensional designs, drawing and Art History. During the third year, students chose two major areas of art to concentrate on before specializing in only one area in the last two years. In other words, a sculpture graduate of the Nsukka art school must have put in three years of his five year programme in the study of sculpture. The designers of this programme ensured that by the time a student submitted his project research after five years of study, he would be relatively proficient in his area of specialization. In the 1970s, Uche Okeke and other lecturers created very vibrant creative atmosphere by engaging in symposia, exhibitions and major commissions which the students benefitted from.

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

5

Besides, Uko Akpaide’s geometry inspired stylized sculptures, Emejue’s massive wood works and stylized cement sculptures as well as Okeke’s uli inspired carvings, which were finished in masterly chisel marks, provided strong resource references for sculpture students. Moreover, incisive criticisms from these masters provided additional guidance to the growth of sculpture in the period. This was the state of affairs in the sculpture section of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria when El Anatsui, another Kumasi trained sculptor and art education expert joined its teaching staff in 1975. His arrival marked a turning point in the attitude to materials and techniques of sculpture production among students of the department. His experiments with pyrography, as a technique of sculpture production was immediately felt with the exhibition of some decorated wooden trays which he produced in Ghana. Those curious but beautiful wooden trays were shown at the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria and Uche Okeke’s Asele gallery in 1976. As expected, Anatsui also participated in the regular departmental staff exhibitions within and outside the University of Nigeria Campus. Meanwhile, the process of building and reorganization of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts continued with the employment of more staff and the introduction of new courses. Ola Oloidi, a Howard University trained art historian, was brought in to help in the teaching of African Art, Modern Art History and Art Criticism. In addition, Theatre Design, Ceramic and Artificial Stone Sculpture as well as Metal Sculpture were added as major courses in the sculpture section of the department. However, in 1976, Vincent Onwuanaku graduated from Sculpture while Blaise Udoh and Samson Uchendu followed in 1978 and 1979, respectively. Also, having obtained a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the University of Nigeria in 1977, Paulinus Emejue left Nsukka in 1978 to head the Department of Fine and Applied Arts of the newly established College of Education, Awka in . In 1979, El Anatsui astounded the Nigerian Art community with the exhibition of his unusual Ceramic Sculpture in an exhibition titled Broken Pots. With this sculpture expose, he announced his arrival at the Nsukka art scene. Broken Pots also demonstrated to the Nsukka sculptors or ceramic artist the great possibilities inherent in ceramic sculpture production. It could be said that by the end of the 1970s, the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria had been apparently rejuvenated and was positioned to have a greater creative and intellectual achievements in the coming years. Series of wooden, cement, plaster, metal and clay sculptures produced by students within this period were eloquent testimonies of the immense efforts put in by Uche Okeke to the development of sculpture at Nsukka, having drawn up an ambitious academic programme for the department and attracted the services of uniquely gifted scholars to the Nsukka art school. Uche Okeke also boosted the image and influence of Fine and Applied Arts as the Dean of Arts between 1979 and 1981.

1980 to 1989: Period of Consolidation Three lecturers taught sculpture at Nsukka in the 1980s. They were Uko Akpaide, El Anatsui and Mrs. S.P.K. Awa who was employed in 1982. Before Awa’s employment, Lawrence Agada a sculptor trained in Italy, taught briefly in the sculpture section on a part-time basis (Oloidi, 2013). The 1980 decade began with no student graduating in sculpture but in 1981 two students, Ernest Okoli and M.N. Naze became graduates of sculpture. Anthony Nwachukwu and Pius Obudu Waritimi graduated in 1982 while Obidi Okpala and Ndubuisi Onah graduated in 1984. Interestingly, in 1985 the sculpture section whose highest number of graduates hitherto stood at two, graduated eight students: Desmond Ajoko, Philip Enekwe, Nelson Igboamazu, Emmanuel Unegbu, Clifford Ume-Ukeje, A.U.

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

6

Ukoha and E.C. Udeagha. Pius Amaefuna, Okey Ikenegbu, Chijioke Onuora, Macpherson Uchendu and Anthonia Okogwu, graduated in 1986. Thus, Miss Okogwu became the first female student to graduate from this section since the inception of the department in 1961. Felix Anyaduba, Ndubuka Ajalla, Kelechi Opara and Henry Ibe were graduates of 1987 while Anthony Ndikanwu and Humphrey Umezulike graduated in 1988. In 1989, three students, Basil Igwegbe, Chike Oyeka and Onyebuchi Nwachukwu also became graduates. As mentioned earlier, Uche Okeke’s strong theoretical base upon which the study of Fine and Applied Arts at the Nsukka art school stood was also the source of creative inspiration that brought about the unique fragrance associated with their products. Below are titles of final year projects written by the sculpture graduates of the 1980s: 1981. 1. M.L. Naze – A study of Awka Guild of carvers. 2. Ernest Okoli – Designs and Symbols in Ikorodo Masquerade of Obimo.

1982. 1. Pius Obudu Waritimi – Drums of Ijaw Speaking People. 2. Anthony Nwachukwu – Traditional Drums in Mbano (A Functional and Stylistic Approach)

1984. 1. Obidi Okpalla – Ritual Sculpture of Idemmili: A case study of Three Towns – Abatete, Umuoji and Nkpor) 2. Ndubuisi Onah – Orba Shrine Architecture.

1985. 1. Desmond Ajoko – Religious Art in Amaokpara. 2 Philip Enekwe – Styles in Affa Traditional Architecture. 3. Nelson Igboamazu – Shrine Art in Umuawulu. 4. Clifford Ume-Ukeje – Traditional Carvers in Uga. 5. Emmanuel Unegbu – The Impact of Change on Mbari Art in Owerri. 6. E.C. Udeagha – Traditional Carved Doors, Stools and Artists in Otanchara Otanzu, Okigwe L.G.A. of Imo State. 7. A.U. Ukoha – Egrbela – An Institutional Content for Artistic Expression in Nkporo.

1986. 1. Pius Amaefuna – Metal Gates in Njikoka L.G.A. 2 Okey Ikenegbu – Traditional Sources in Achi Metal Smithing. 3. Chijioke Onuora – Art Objects of Adazi-Ani Shrines. 4. Anthonia Okogwu – Traditional Furniture among the Tiv People of Benue State. 5. Macpherson Uchendu – Carved Doors and Decorative Panels in Ihiala.

1987. 1. Anyaduba Felix – Contemporary Carving in Onitsha. 2. Ndubuaku Ajalla – Traditional Architecture in Ovim. 3. Kelechi Opara – Contemporary Furniture Works in Owerri. 4. Henry Ibe – Contemporary Carved Doors in Owerri Urban.

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

7

1988. 1. Anthony Ndikanwu – The Roles of the Traditional Artists in Ezi Aniocha L.G.A., Bendel State. 2. Humphrey Umezulike – Traditional Architecture in Abagana..

1989. 1. Basil Igwegbe – Okonko as a setting for Traditional Art Teaching in Umuma Isiaku, Ideato L.G.A. of Imo State. 2. O.F.A. Nwachukwu – Traditional Carving in Nkalagu. 3. Chike Oyeka – Scarecrows as Sculptures.

A general appraisal of these special project titles, show a recurrent interest in traditional Igbo art, customs and festivals. Village shrines and family compounds contain majority of the local artifacts, most of which are made of wood. Also, Ola Oloidi’s influence in the areas of African traditional art, Modern Nigerian art history and Fine art criticism undoubtedly sharpened the students understanding of art and complemented the critique experiences of the studio courses. More so, studies in traditional architecture in some of the students’ projects are proofs of Aniakor’s contribution to the understanding of African traditional art within this period. The 1980s experienced increased art activities within and outside the Department of Fine and Applied Arts as regular staff and students exhibitions, in addition to the aforementioned activities, caused the burgeoning students to aspire to emulate their teachers and mentors. Uche Okeke continued to bring more visibility to Fine Arts when he served as the Director, Institute of African Studies between 1984 and 1986. During this period, Fine and Applied Arts students made regular trips to the Institute to study the numerous traditional art collections there. Also, after Anatsui’s exhibition of the Broken Pots in 1979, he, in the company of Mrs. S.P.K. Awa and Set Anku, another Ghanaian art teacher, draughtsman and fountain maker, produced two outdoor sculptures for the newly built Faculty of Physical Science complex. Built of terrazzo from El Anatsui’s maquettes, the success of this project immediately attracted the sculpture students’ interest to this new medium. This was also the beginning of the use of power tools in the sculpture section of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria. Obidi Okpala and Ndubuisi Onah, the fifth year students, were the first of the Nsukka students to try out this terrazzo medium in 1984 (see Plate 2). It involved, first, using a mix of terrazzo chippings and cements to charge a negative mould in order to get a positive cast out of it. The positive mould was then smoothened and burnished with the aid of an angle grinder; thus begining the production of creative casts of terrazzo out of different types of negative molds. The use of this medium for casting continued in the department throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. By the middle of the 1980s, El Anatsui had established himself as the most influential sculpture lecturer at the Nsukka Art School, particularly with his introduction of fire as a medium of wood sculpture intervention. This was a mutation of the poker work technique which he first tried out in Ghana at the beginning of the 1970s. After his artist-in-residence programme in Cummington, U.S.A., Anatsui returned to Nsukka to begin series of carvings on wood panels, using a combination of power tools to shape them before charring them with fire. This new technique of sculpture production was shown by Anatsui during the inaugural exhibition of the Aka Circle of Exhibiting Artists in 1986 and was officially launched into the Nigerian art scene in his Pieces of Wood exhibition where he exhibited a total of twenty burnt wood panels produced between 1984 and 1987. Interestingly, Anatsui employed the services of some of his sculpture students as studio hands to

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

8

produce some of these works both within the departmental studio and his private studio, thereby inculcating a great deal of pyrography skills and ideas in them. Though most of the final year sculpture students of 1985 session took part in these studio efforts (Anatsui, 1987, p.5), it took the euphoria that greeted the success of this brand of sculpture in 1986 to get students sufficiently interested in its imitation. In 1986, Okey Ikenegbu and Chijioke Onuora became the first sculpture students of the Nsukka art school to exhibit pyrography wood sculpture in his final year exhibition in June 1986 (Onuora, 2012, p. 55). From then on, the technique was assimilated by sculpture students and practised over a long period of time.

Fig. 2. Obidi Okpala, Best Brains are Preserved in Alcohol, Terrazo, 1984.

By 1992, with the introduction of utility sculpture practice to Nsukka sculpture, students, with the combined efforts of Ernest Okoli, a sculpture lecturer and a former sculpture graduate of the Nsukka Art School and Gbubemi Amanontsewor, a practising utility sculpture artist, the practice of pyrography by Nsukka sculpture students took a new direction which encouraged an entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to the pyrography sculpture of Anatsui which was purely aesthetic and philosophical, the functional sculptures as expounded by Okoli and Amanoritsewor created opportunity for students to produce aesthetically pleasing wood works which also served other household utility functions. It would be right, therefore, to say that the teaching and practice of sculpture at the Nsukka art school in the 1980s demonstrated a consolidation of Uche Okeke’s dream of the early 1970s. One could also say with some certainty, that as Uche Okeke retired from the services of the University of Nigeria in 1986, El Anatsui became the singular most influential sculpture lecturer in the sculpture section of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria. The practice of sculpture was no doubt in ascendancy and this heralded the beginning of the golden period of sculpture production at the Nsukka art school.

1990-1994: The Final Years of the Five Year Art Programme 1990s was perhaps the golden period of sculpture practice at the Nsukka art school. This period also represented the finest moments for burnt wood sculpture production by sculpture students, teachers and graduates of the department. Nevertheless, the period still represents the beginning of a new four- year programme which replaced the five year programme instituted by Uche Okeke and his

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

9

colleagues in 1971. These pioneer four-year programme students eventually graduated together with the last batch of the five year programme students in 1994, producing a record number of ninety-nine graduates from the Department of Fine and Applied Arts. In spite of this huge number, only a little percentage eventually majored in sculpture. In 1990 Chika Okeke and Azuka Oduh graduated from sculpture. Chika Okeke also set the record of being the foremost sculpture student of the department to earn a first class honours in Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Nigeria. N.E. Eronini, B.N. Ikebudu, A.C. Ikeri and Uchenna Ogbuaku graduated in 1991, while Lambert Iheanacho, Akagbule Nwigwe, Cajetan Nwokeji, Hyacinth Ozoihu and Evaristus Obodo graduated in 1992. In 1994, there were five sculpture graduates: Inameti Oyom, Izundu Nwankwo, Chukwudi Ugwu, C.V. Amoke and Francis Ukwuaba. Interestingly, many sculpture graduates of the early 1990s saw the consolidation of Uche Okeke’s efforts of the 1980s, with all the tremendous creative and academic success it recorded. For example, Chika Okeke’s class was already admitted into the University of Nigeria when Anatsui exhibited with the Aka group in 1986. The students also saw the opening of the Pieces of Wood exhibition as second year students. Between 1986 and the 1990s, Anatsui’s pyrographed sculptures were shown in all the editions of the Aka exhibitions. Furthermore, other art activities within and around Nsukka, during this period, promoted students’ unbroken engagements with visual arts and also aroused their desire to be part of them. In addition, sculpture exhibitions by the former graduates of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Nigeria become more frequent with Ndidi Dike, Samson Uchendu, Anthony Nwachukwu, Ndubuisi Onah, Anthony Ndikanwu, Okey Ikenegbu, Chijioke Onuora, Humphrey Umezulike and Anthonia Okogwu. In 1991, the maiden edition of the outdoor sculpture exhibition by the Sculptors Guild of Nigeria, held at the Murtala Mohammed Park, , with El Anatsui, Chike Ochi, Samson Uchendu, Okey Ikenegbu and Chijioke Onuora participating (Sculptors’ Guild, 1991). Another evidence of growth of sculpture practice was the massive participation of all the 1992 sculpture graduates in the second outing of the Visual Orchestra Group, organized by Krydz Ikwuemesi. Expectedly, by the mid-1990s the sculptures from the Nsukka art school became even more distinct as their promotion of pyrography as a viable technique of sculpture production appealed to both the Nigerian and the international art audience.

Conclusion As the last set of the five year programme students graduated in 1994, the sculpture section of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, began to lay more emphasis on the exploration of indigenous materials and techniques which formed the backbone of the new four-year programme of study. Nevertheless, looking back at the events of 1961 to 1994, one discovers how much progress has been made in sculpture teaching and learning at the Nsukka art school. This paper has attempted to trace the history and development of sculpture in this school and has revealed that out of the five major sculpture teachers who taught in the sculpture section of the department, three, Abaye, Akpaide and Anatsui were trained at the prestigious College of Science, Arts and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. The study also established that out of the thirty-three years (1961 to 1994) of sculpture teaching at the University of Nigeria, El Anatsui put in nineteen years. Not only was he the longest serving sculpture lecturer within the period, he was the most talented, the most popular and the one with the greatest influence on the sculpture students. Anatsui exposed sculpture students to

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015

10

new possibilities of sculptural intervention, especially in the areas of ceramic sculpture, terrazzo working techniques, pyrography and other non-conventional materials and techniques. In spite of the giant strides recorded by the Department of Fine and Applied Arts in general and the sculpture section in particular, one continues to wonder what the story would have been like in the absence Uche Okeke’s ideological contributions. In other words, would it have been possible for the ‘Natural Synthesis” ideology, as proposed by the Zaria Art Society, to be vigorously pursued at the Nsukka art school if Uche Okeke did not take up the challenge of realigning the department after a brutal civil war stunted its progress? The answer is no. Okeke’s visionary efforts, organizational ability and passion for the realization of authentic modern African art helped in the institutionalization of a new art consciousness at Nsukka. His experiment with the Uli idiom of expression permeated all the sections of the department, including sculpture. Therefore, beyond the El Anatsui influence in the development of sculpture at the Nsukka Art School, the credit of galvanizing the department into a major creative force indisputably goes to Uche Okeke. Without the major reorganization which he championed, in line with the Natural Synthesis ideology, it would have been difficult for the Nsukka Art School to achieve the many successes it recorded in visual art. His rare ability to push through his art agenda, by constantly engaging the department in art exhibitions, symposia, workshops, conferences, lectures and research on African art practices, helped a distinctive modern art tradition to thrive at Nsukka. By so doing, he improved on the ground breaking foundations laid by the pioneer staff of the Enwonwu College of Fine Arts.

References Anatsui, E.K., Pieces of Wood, An Exhibition of Mural Sculptures, Enugu, SNAAP. p.10. Asogwa, O.S., (2013) Early Years of the Enwonwu College of Fine Art, University of Nigeria. An Unpublished Manuscript, p.6 Iro, A.D., (1998), The Organic Trends in the Nsukka Sculpture School, 1965-1998. (Unpublished B.A. Project, University of Nigeria), p.10. Nkememena, A.U.J. (1965), Graduate Album and Convocation Speeches of Convocations, 1963, 1964 and 1965, Aba, International Press. Nkememena, A.U.J. (1966), Graduate Album and Convocation Speeches of Convocations, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966 , Aba, International Press, Ola Oloidi (ed.) Modern Nigerian Art in Historical Perspectives., Enugu, AHAN. p.25. Oloidi, Ola, (2004) “Nnamdi Azikiwe in the History and Development of Modern Nigerian Art” In Oloidi, Ola, (2013), Professor of Art History and Art Criticism, interviewed at Nsukka on 4th October, 2013. Onuora, C.N. (2012), Two Decades of Pyrography by Nsukka Artists, 1986 – 2006, (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Nigeria), p. 55. Sculptor’s Guild of Nigeria inaugural exhibition catalogue, 1991. p.7. University of Nigeria Annual Report, 1970-1971. p.4 University of Nigeria Calendar, 1963-1964, pp.172-176 University of Nigeria Calendar, 1964-1965, pp.75-76 University of Nigeria Calendar, 1965-1966, p.90 University of Nigeria Calendar, 1966-1967, p.93

Nsukka Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2015