 "If
you have not visited the farm of the other
you might always say you are best." These
are the words of a Ghanaian proverb that reflect
a concept embodied by the Fulbright Scholar
Program: exploring the world beyond the familiar
broadens perspective and brings wisdom. Benjamin
Offei-Nyako, more commonly referred to as
BON, remembered this proverb when he accepted
a nomination to become a 1999-2000 scholar
in residence in the art department at North
Carolina Central University (NCCU), a historically
black institution in rural North Carolina.
At Offei-Nyako's home institution, the
College of Art at the University of Science
and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, he is director
of the Department of Painting. At NCCU,
he taught beginning painting courses and
supervised independent study projects. In
addition, he conducted research on African
icons in African American art. Offei-Nyako
felt honored to be in residence at one of
the foremost historically black universities
in the country. Being at an institution
with 90 years of experience in higher education
encouraged him to develop ideas for the
improvement of art education at his home
institution.
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Two of Offei-Nyako's works, Kaya
Yo III
and Akosua. |
Offei-Nyako was praised by students and
faculty alike for his skill as an instructor
and the passion with which he creates art.
His paintings focus on women in rural communities
who, in his words, "toil day by day,
some living on the periphery of poverty,
yet going about their daily activities with
dignity and pride." For Offei-Nyako,
his paintings exhibit a kind of beauty inherent
in the simplicity of village life. His work
has been admired in solo exhibitions throughout
Europe and West Africa since 1976.
During his residence in North Carolina,
the scholar exhibited his work at the African
Heritage Center in Greensboro in addition
to the North Carolina Central University
Art Museum in Durham. As a participant in
the Fulbright Occasional Lecturer Fund,
he lectured on contemporary African art
at the North Carolina Museum of Art and
North Carolina State University in Raleigh,
Winona State University in Minnesota and
the Congress of Artists in New Orleans.
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