Arts And Crafts

Mus’Art Cameroon seeks to twin with arts institution

This post comes to you from Cultura21

Since its creation in 1996 Musa Heritage Gallery (shortened Mus’Art), named in memory of Nso’ carvers Daniel Kanjo Musa and his elder son John Yuniwo Musa, has been active in propagating the Nso’ cultural heritage.

This cultural initiative by the Musa family opened her doors to the public on 18th December, 1996. Mus’Art Gallery has a collection of over 400 objects, most of which were created between 1970 and 2000. These varied and diverse objects range from Bamboo work to Wood Carvings, Basketry to Pottery. The museum continues to acquire contemporary Cameroonian arts and crafts while maintaining a major focus on the Western Grass-fields region.

Mus’Art Gallery was created in part as to preserve in response to the loss of these precious objects, so the Art of the past is not lost to the region. Its mission is to support the arts and crafts of the Western Grass-fields and to highlight the excellence and diversity of regional artists, past and present, so these may become known nationally and internationally.

The art of Nso’ traditional wood sculpturing is fast disappearing. Most Nso’ renown carvers have died. Youngsters are unwilling to learn the art. Mus’Art Gallery is interested in a rebirth of Nso’traditional wood sculpturing as well as other traditional art forms such as weaving, basketry, bamboo work, knitting of traditional caps and other gadgets with raffia leaves or straw. In fact the arts and crafts industry in Nso’ if revamped can create a lot of jobs for young boys and girls, contribute to economic growth and fight unemployment.

The Mus’Art Gallery in Kumbo, Cameroun, is seeking to twin with a museum, gallery or other arts institution abroad, in order to open the door to new ideas, collaboration and joint programmes that will allow both partners to evolve.

Interested museums or art-based organisations may contact Peter Musa, Mus’Art Director. Email: administration [at] musartgallery [dot] org

Phone: +237 7937 2652

Address: Bamfem Qtr, P.O Box 21, Kumbo, North West region, Cameroun.

For more information about the museum, please visit http://musartgallery.blogspot.fr/

 

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

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Steep Trail: an Ecolab in Fife

This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland

On the sunny 9th and drenching 10th of August, a group of artists, environmentalists, and community workers met in Fife as part of a series of event coordinated by Fife Contemporary Arts and Crafts, Polarcap, and Edinburgh Sculpture Studios. (For reports on earlier events, see the ecoartscotland blog  and the Greener Leith Blog) The themes were land, walls, boundaries – plus John Muir and China. The first venue for a day of walk and talk was the Ecology Centre near Burntisland, with its impressive blend of social and ecological engagement. Ronnie Mackie and Julie Samuel explained how determination had made the place happen, by nurturing volunteer contributions and generating community input. Biodiversity is catered for too, with this wetland created from a former industrial dump. We found toads, well-tended poly-tunnels, allotments and more. John Muir was the main topic of afternoon talks, being introduced by Liz Adamson of Polarcap and Jo Moulin in the afternoon of talks – Muir’s birthplace in Dunbar   is a visitor centre that contributes to sustainable living in East Lothian. The group mulled over the Muir quote: “I went out for a walk and stayed out till sundown, for going out I found I was really going in.” Wild development was an idea presented in another form in scenes of contemporary China presented by Peter Lindow. On the wet 10th, we convened at Falkland Centre for Stewardship. The day was introduced by Ninian Stuart and Tess Darwin with a tour of woodland walks and farmland – following boundaries and learning (indoors) how the estate has become a place to learn to live more sustainably, threading traditions of stewardship with community involvement and ecological design. The Centre extends support to artwork such as Resounding – sound installation including work by Louise K Wilson – and also to a new conservation project – Lomond Living Landscapes. The latter was presented by David Munro, describing how the ‘commonty‘ of the hills (currently dissected by the Fife/Perth boundary) had been successively divided and enclosed, with ‘marches’ and ‘meiths’ [boundaries] surviving. How can art/craft and biodiversity link? This was a themes developed by Reheema White, lecturer in Sustainable Development at St Andrews. Her presentation made no bones about the implications of species loss and unsustainable lifestyles, but allowed for a creative engagement. This allowed me to explain why I value ecoartscotland as a network, seeing ‘ecoart’ as linking different kinds of knowledge and moving ourselves outwith comfort zones. A theme emerged: what would John Muir take into account if he were alive now? One response was that having taken Teddy Roosevelt to the Yosemite, he might take Alex Salmond to Menie Links in Aberdeenshire (the Trump development). A stimulating event of exchanges, with no particular outcome required but things brewing. posted by Kate Foster

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform. It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology. Go to EcoArtScotland