The future is BRIGHT
Ghana | In this blog we are happy to share more news from the workshops in Ghana, organized by Edwin Otta and Thamon van Blokland and sponsored with materials by the Royal Talens Foundation. This time, the workshops took place at a Senior High School in a small town called Wiamoase, located in the heart of the Ashanti region.
A mural for the school
Thamon and Edwin reached out to the school with the idea of hosting a series of workshops for the visual art department of their school. The goal of these workshops was to collectively come up with a design for a mural painting on the school wall. After a couple of meetings with the school's officials, they received approval from the headmaster to host our workshops.
The workshops themselves were hosted by Thamon van Blokland and Rachel Owusu. The first workshop was attended by more than 50 third-year visual art students, who almost didn’t fit the classroom!
Workshop 1: What does the future hold?
The workshop started with an inspiring discussion about possible career paths in the art industry and an introduction to social design. From there, they went on to discuss the most important question: how do these students see their future in today’s society in Ghana? The answer to this question would then be the start for the design for our mural painting. And after some playful exercises to loosen the students up and having them write their thoughts on paper, they concluded: BRIGHT is the future they foresee for themselves.
Workshop 2: Collective design
The aim of the second workshop was to collectively design the letters for the word BRIGHT together with a group of 25 visual arts students. To have all the students work in the same style, Thamon and Rachel cleverly had some shape tools cut out with a laser cutter. With these tools the students could let their creativity go wild, while still working within the same framework or style. Next to that, the students had coloured pencils, Sakura fineliners, and thick A4 paper sheets to draw and sketch their letters, sponsored by the Foundation.
The students proved to be very productive and within two hours they ended up with a table full of variations of the letters for the word BRIGHT. The name of the student was written on the back of every letter variation and then the students were given the opportunity to hand-pick their favorite composition of letters.
Thamon, Edwin and Rachel were very happy with the end results and the enthusiasm the students exhibited during these workshops.
Impressions
Below you can see some images which give an impression of the workshop. It was both creative and very fun! Curious about the other workshops in Ghana? You can read about it here.
Supported projects
Discover how Intrecci Società Cooperativa Sociale Onlus is transforming lives through creativity and art-therapy using beautiful Royal Talens materials. Curious to learn more? Keep reading!
Read more
In times of displacement and uncertainty, art can be a powerful tool for healing and connection. Ukrainian artist Vlad Kladko, now residing in Oslo, Norway, understands this deeply. Besides his work with refugees at the Tåsen camp, he has initiated a remarkable art project that brings beauty and creativity back into the lives of those affected by war.
Read more
In September and October 2024, the SAWA Collective, a non-profit organization supporting young adult asylum seekers in the Netherlands, partnered with the Royal Talens Foundation to host a series of empowering creative workshops for women residing in an asylum seekers’ centre in Amsterdam.
Read more
The past year has been marked by intense violence, suffering, and heartbreak in various conflict zones around the world. We want to emphasize that we stand with all victims in a conflict and support organisations that help these victims when needed.
Read more