Sep 19, 2025, 4:34 PM
ME and BOF
By JULIET EZENWA
PEARCE
I had met Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya previously in 1993 when I
took an exhibition invitation to him. It was my first solo exhibition in Lagos.
He gave me his first advice that day and
I have used that advice since then. I had requested his presence at my
exhibition as the special guest of honour. I had thought that the bigger well
established people in ones field were the ones to chair the exhibition or Art
event. But he kindly corrected that impression. He went on to patiently explain
how it was imperative that we the visual artists drew into the art , people
from other fields of endeavour such as , VIPs from the private sector, diplomatic communities and top government
functionaries. As soon as he said it I understood and agreed . Overtime I came to treasure the solemn
moments of advice and counselling I received from the legend.
I first heard about the Harmattan Workshop from Duke Asidere
in the late 1990s when the workshop took place at the Mushin residence of the
legend. I didn't pay any attention to the information because I was lost in my
daily struggles as a young artist in Lagos.
Thus the usefulness of the information eluded me.
I began attending the
Harmattan Workshop in 2005. There are many things that drew me to the Harmattan
Workshop artists residency. I love it for it's serene lush green vegetation. I
love the rows of palm trees. I love the dew in the morning. I love the
quietness that enables one to hear the sounds of wild birds on the trees. I
love the freshness of the air. And I love the gathering of the creative and
intellectual minds in Nigeria. The Harmattan
Workshop is the largest artists residency program in west Africa (if not Africa).
I have on several accounts recommended the Harmattan Workshop as the only well
run artists residency and workshop
worthy of it's name in Nigeria.
I see and recognize
the financial challenges to host the program annually. As an art events
organizer myself, I understand the burden to keep the project alive . It
requires funding support from stakeholders from both the private sector and
government.
What is unique about the HW is the way it is a workshop, a
retreat and a residency. The multidisciplinary approach of the workshop allows for
cross- fertilization and synergy of
ideas, methods and styles of creative endeavours.
I have often found that the answers to my fundamental questions could be derived from the experiences of creatives operating in other fields. The open door policy at BOF enables people
from disciplines outside of the creative
arts to participate. Therefore it is common place to find participants from
theatre arts, music, journalists, writers, poets and spoken word performers and
even the sciences , present at the workshop.
When in session, the
Harmattan Workshop is an environment of uniquely
different people with diverse creative abilities. I have often described this group of creatives
as intellectually queer. I posit that both their creative and intellectual
abilities have made them deviant in ways mostly tolerated by society. But an
accepted norm at the workshop. I know this because I am one of them. Early in
my life, I tended to over intellectualize ideas. This attitude made my family
and friends say of me that I was always too serious. The precise phrase was you
are somehow weird ,or they gave me that look that said you have gone overboard
or worse. Mostly they just told me to just shot-up. So I learnt to keep my
thoughts to myself . For the longest time I was quiet and reserved, keeping my
thoughts and opinions to myself .Until I began to attend the Harmattan Workshop.
It was also common place for people who have had to suppress
their passion in order to conform to societal expectations, or have lost it
completely, to be revived at the Harmattan Workshop. Regular participation has
the ability to incentivize, creatives back on track .
I joined the Harmattan Workshop barely a few years after I
began my journey into women's rights activism and feminisms. The evening
discussion sessions provided opportunities for participants to voice their
opinions and arguments on a diverse array of topics. It was not always about
Art. Observing and listening to fellow creatives speak their thoughts and
realities validated my beliefs. Their words , actions and experiences gave me
permission to accept myself. These discussions were instrumental in helping me
identify my truest authentic self. Ultimately they gave me the courage to
become the female masquerade. One will
not be wrong to state that I found myself at the Harmattan Workshop.
Artistically by 2005 I was seeking growth and expansion. I
was already asking the questions for
which the answers resided in Dr Bruce and the staff of BOF. As a painter I had
gone through phases of oil on canvas and boards, watercolour on paper, acrylic
on canvas and even chalk /oil pastels on paper. By 2005 I had suffered through
15 yrs of colour. So I became physically sick of colour. So I took 2 yrs off to
practice ceramics. I worked closely with Dr Grace Soyinka . She was the ceramic facilitator that year at the HW with Dr Emoda building the
kiln under the shed. Thus my first HW I registered for ceramics. It was while
working at the ceramic session that I was drawn to the activities in the
printmaking section. I fell in love with printmaking at first glance. And I
have never looked back.
I learnt the
following things from Dr Bruce. Allow me share some with you.
1- you need a large storage for Art works. Like fine wine, Art
too requires many years in darkness to mature and age. Some ideas need to wait
for the rest of the world to catch up.
2- I learnt methods to reduce and enlarge my works.
3- I learnt all I know about printmaking
4- I embraced the experimental approach to printmaking. Dr
Bruce has always been open to teaching eager students like me to bravely take
up experimentation.
I took out time to study his works and methods in and
outside the HW. I also found the staff of BOF extremely helpful and friendly. I
could not be the artist I am today with out their assistance and support. Many times when I was
too belittled to approach the legend himself, I usually took my challenge to
the studio staff. They never failed me.
He is to be applauded for his gender sensitivity. One can
easily observe that there's a conscious effort towards gender balance in his
organization. This cannot be said of many artists and professional gatherings.
No doubt the ratio of male to female in the visual arts sector is about 90-10
or worse. I have observed how he has
patiently nurtured, the growth of young female creatives as his own way of
enabling them . It has yielded success because I am one of them. For those of
us who advocate for gender equality, it is such a delight to have a legend of
this calibre on our side.
Dr Bruce has come to be a father to me. His work and life
style has been a blueprint to which I base my reference. For the level of
success he has achieved, his humility is to be admired. It is always a pleasure
to just listen to him talk about anything. May God bless him and his family.
Juliet Ezenwa Maja- Pearce
Yemaja gallery and studio.
11 Abiona close off Falolu road Surulere Lagos, Nigeria.
Julietezenwa
Majapearce <julietezenwa@gmail.com>
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