THE HARMATTAN WORKSHOP

Right from its inception the Harmattan Workshop became very popular and started to grow beyond its original concept.  It attracted participants from all over the states of Nigeria and from other countries, in particular our neighbours in West Africa – Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana.  Those who participated in the art programmes or benefited from the various activities generated by the workshops or its facilities are beginners and professional artists, art historians, teachers, lecturers, pupils from elementary schools, students from secondary and tertiary institutions, film makers, musical recorders, tourists, cultural engineers etc.

The Harmattan Workshop thus became the flagship programme of the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation.  In order, therefore, to make it easy for participation in the various facets, we provide the information below:

(HWS) are an informal educational setup as a retreat where artists meet, think, work, experiment and share ideas. They are designed to help develop and sustain creative endeavors in the arts, particularly the visual arts.

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LOCATION
Workshop sessions take place at the Onobrak Arts Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State, Nigeria. They are administered from No 41, Oloje Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin, Lagos State.

HISTORY
Founded in 1998 by renowned Printmaker, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya they are modelled after workshops organised by the German ethnographer Dr. Ulli Beier at Ibadan, Oshogbo and lle-lfe in south west Nigeria, and those of Haystack Mountain School of Arts and Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine, U.S.A., which he attended in the 60s and 70s. The HWS started as an extension of the internship and Industrial Training programmes which still take place in his Lagos studio at Papa Ajao.

POLICY AND MANAGEMENT
The Harmattan Workshops constitute the flagship programmes of the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation, a registered non-governmental organisation. BOF is governed by a board of Trustees and Advisers who provide the foundation’s general policy and developmental plans. However, its day-to-day operations and the activities of the workshops proper are run by the Founder/ Chairman, an Artistic Director, and a team of Facilitators and Consultants.

WORKSHOP PERIOD
The workshops hold each year in sessions of two weeks each. They start in the middle of February and can go beyond August. The number of sessions depend on availability of funds, and consequently, an advertised session will be cancelled if funds are not available.

PROGRAMME
Being an informal educational setup, their syllabi and curriculums are neither rigid nor inflexible and there are no permanent staff members. Broadly, the Workshops are divided into two sections: the first section which is both instructive and interactive, and designed for both experienced artists and beginners, starts in the middle of February each year barring unforeseen circumstances. The subjects offered here are subject to the availability of facilitators who can supervise and teach them.

The second session is the August retreat and is designed for artists who use the period to develop their own ideas undisturbed.  Subjects which have been handled so far in the first session include: Painting/ Mixed media, Printmaking, Textiles Design/Fashion, Pottery and Ceramics, Wood Sculpture, Metal Sculpture, Stone Carving, Blacksmithery, Jewelry/ Craft, Computer Training, Photography, Leather Craft, and Bronze Casting.  Participants choose and specialize in one subject in a particular session. They are free to try their hands on other subjects after fulfilling the mandatory requirement in their selected area, if time and materials are available.  Alumni of the Harmattan Workshops with permission could use the etching press for printmaking during the off season.