Modernism and reforms in contemporary Ghanaian art education

Abstract

This study addresses the issues of art, art education and globalization and its implications for reforms in art education in Ghana. It examines the hold colonial education has had over art and its education in Ghana. In Ghana, there is scepticism among artists and art educators who appear to be at ease with western traditional formats and media, with relics of colonial arts education epitomized by ‘hand and eye’ training by rote. The study contextualizes art education and incorporates historical, regional, and global perspectives to dissect the intersections between Ghanaian art education and other contexts. Discussions revealed the need to design a curriculum that affords students and teachers a better understanding of the colonial education system, its objectives and implications, highlighting the need to embrace and utilize a wide range of media, formats and criticality of content which ought to penetrate teaching, learning and making art at all levels.