Students Engage in Service-Learning Projects in Ghana

By KOFI BOONE, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture

Art+Design and Landscape Architecture International Studio in Ghana 2011

The Art+Design and Landscape Architecture International Studio in Ghana successfully broke new ground in the program’s level of engagement with Ghanaian artists and craftspeople.

During first summer session of 2011, College of Design faculty and students collaborated with Women In Progress/Global Mamas, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in a service-learning project delivering a design sourcebook (download the Art+Design presentation here 6.9MB) for generating new Batik patterns and expanding the market appeal of Global Mamas children’s clothing, as well as design concepts for a proposed Fair Trade Workshop in one of Ghana’s poorest regions (download the Landscape Architecture presentation here 9.4MB). This service-learning effort augmented an ongoing linkage agreement with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s (KNUST) College of Art, and featured the work of 16 College of Design students representing four design disciplines.

Professor Charles Joyner (Art+Design), Assistant Professor Kathleen Rieder (Art+Design), and Associate Professor Kofi Boone (Landscape Architecture) all co-taught the studio. Precious Lovell (MAD, 2010) served as a key instructor in the course.

Ghana is considered “The Gateway to West Africa” and is home to over 24 million people. It is considered one of the best-governed countries on the continent of Africa. Ghana was the first independent nation in Africa after the end of Colonialism (1957), and is home to numerous cultural traditions associated with the entire continent of Africa. Additionally, Ghana was home to over 40 slave castles and forts, serving as the departure point for millions of enslaved Africans headed to plantations in the New World. The historic significance of the country, as well as its position in contemporary issues such as urbanization and globalization, make it a rich context to explore the roles of design and designers in a rapidly changing world.

Planning for the service-learning project began at the end of Ghana Study Abroad 2009, and was facilitated by College of Design Alumna Precious Lovell. Precious served as a volunteer with Global Mamas prior to her academic career at NC State University, and targeted strategic opportunities for College of Design faculty and students to enhance Global Mamas goals and mission. Women In Progress/Global Mamas empowers Ghanaian women with entrepreneurial skills and enhanced market access for Batik fashions. Their efforts have successfully elevated nearly 500 Ghanaian women out of poverty, and College of Design faculty and students were challenged with enhancing Global Mamas efforts with critical design thinking.

The service-learning project gave a sense of mission and purpose to faculty and student work in Ghana. In previous studios, students were charged with conducting extensive field research in craft villages, documenting traditional forms of craft and making to use in the development of original design work. In 2011, the field research studio component was modified to respond to prompts targeting the delivery of specific design products in the service-learning project. Ghanaian batik artists provided hands-on experiences with traditional forms of textile design, and students provided design thinking, as well as extensive documentation of traditions observed across the country of Ghana.

Journaling was the dominant form of documentation, and the course instructors conducted their own research on the use of journaling in Ghana concurrent with course activities.

After Arriving in Accra (Ghana’s capital city, home to over 4 million people), meeting with Global Mamas staff, and experiencing the work of Ghana’s premier Batik artist Mrs. Mercy Ocansey, the studio relocated to the rural and mountainous Volta region. Using the town of Ho as a home base, a week of field study immersed faculty and students in a wide range of craft village settings ranging from Kente (a traditional form of woven cloth), to pottery, to glass beads. Cedi’s Bead Village in particular provided a first-person experience with a successful entrepreneur who has married traditional village customs with profitable western marketing techniques.

From the Volta region, faculty and students moved on to Kumasi, the cultural center of Ashanti Region, and home to KNUST. Lecturers from KNUST provided context to craft village observations, and facilitated field research in techniques including “lost wax” metalwork, Adinkra stamping, wood carving, and other artist traditions. In addition to documenting the process of making, students were challenged with engaging the artisans, and journaling on the qualities of the places and artifacts. These collectively served as data for the generation of motifs in the final stages of the studio.

From Kumasi, faculty and students headed north to Tamale and Bolgatanga, minutes from the international border with Burkina Faso. While there, students conducted field research on traditional mud house construction and ornamentation, leatherwork, and basket making.

From the north, faculty and student finally travelled to Cape Coast, home of Global Mamas, and the core service-learning project. The original Governor’s House, preserved from British Colonial days, served as studio. Art+Design students were matched with local Batik artists and worked in their shops daily refining cutting, stamping, and dying techniques. Landscape Architecture students conducted field study at the proposed Fair Trade Workshop site, identified principles found in layouts of traditional craft settings, and participated in a design game with a local Batik artist.

Faculty and students got to know the town of Cape Coast, walking the streets, frequenting local shops, and establishing meaningful relationships with new friends. In addition to formal studio activities, the College of Design team had the pleasure of touring Cape Coast with Essel Blankson, the Cape Coast Castle guide that led President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama through the facility. Cape Coast Castle was the largest and busiest of Ghana 40 slave forts and castles, and the vivid story of conditions there left a lasting impression on all.

The studio concluded with a Gallery show in Ghana, featuring the review and feedback from the Batik artist partners, Global Mamas staff, and Cape Coast residents. The students presented sample prints of Batik designs, concepts for a Fair Trade Workshop facility, as well as their design inspirations documented in their journals. Their work was well-received by Women In Progress/Global Mamas, and service learning objectives were met.

From Renae Adam, Director of Global Mamas (in response to Art+Design sourcebook proposals):
“We are really impressed with many of the designs and I think you will see many of them (or variations of them) in our 2012 catalog! Thanks again for everything that you and your students have done for Global Mamas.”

(And in response to Landscape Architecture student proposals for a fair trade workshop):

“I learned so much about building orientation, ventilation, and the possibility of using native plants to neutralize the dyes as well as the dye rain garden. I love the idea of planting edible and medicinal plants on the grounds to promote health/nutrition.

I also think the planned layout ideas for the campus are well thought-out. I’m impressed that you really did come up with some creative and inexpensive ideas on pathways, trees and use of tents to give more dimension to our “cheap” and boring factory structure. It is really fun to see the result of our preliminary discussions. I think your students (and you) put together very useful, affordable, and easily-executable ideas. Thank you SO much.”

The Art+Design and Landscape Architecture International Studio in Ghana will continue in 2013 and will include a service-learning component. Journaling and field study in a wide range of Ghanaian situations will continue to serve as an immersive experience to provoke critical design inquiry into problems and solutions in a context different from that of students. It is hoped that this studio experience will continue to serve as a setting to expose the next generation of designers to the challenges and rewards of working with their global peers. And to gain the necessary life-skills for thriving in a world of difference.

For more information:

Charles Joyner, Professor
Department of Art + Design
cjoyner@ncsu.edu
919.515.2078

Kathleen Rieder, Assistant Professor
Department of Art + Design
kathleen_rieder@ncsu.edu
919.515.2079

Kofi Boone, Associate Professor
Department of Landscape Architecture
kmboone@ncsu.edu
919.515.8349