Author: Hudson Hinder

The Met Is Returning Benin Bronzes To Nigeria, An ‘Act Of Social Justice’ In The World Of Art

The museums and galleries reminds us of the greatness that humanity could craft marvelous works of art that transcend through many generations. Not only the renowned artists like Da Vinci or Picasso have their art pieces displayed in the museums, but also many unaccounted talents whose artworks are a living proof that they actually existed and gave something to the world for the rest of us to admire and appreciate. However, the manner of acquisition of some of these artworks from unknown artists is not something to be proud of.

For one, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Met, in New York, boasts a very huge collection of Benin Bronzes, which are antique plaques that were crafted to immortalize the tribal leaders of the Kingdom of Benin (now known as Nigeria). Now, one might wonder how come the Met has these Benin Bronzes when the artisan crafters from Nigeria made them. This is because these plaques were looted by the British soldiers in 1897 during the conquest of the British Empire.

Met Gives In To The Call To Return The Bronzes To Where They Should Be In The First Place

Just recently, the Met announced that it is planning to return two Benin Bronzes in its possession to Nigeria. To note, the Met’s Benin Bronze collection actually came from the British Museum, which is the first to feature all the looted plaques from the former Kingdom of Benin (which makes sense, since it is the Brits who got the plaques).

To many art curators and historians, the Met’s announcement is a much welcome development as the Benin Bronzes being in the hands of a Western museum is like a celebration of a dark moment in history due to Western imperialism. The Benin Bronzes rightfully belong to Nigeria, as they are a part of the country’s rich history and they tell much about their culture. If these were only somewhere within the f95 zone, the bronzes would have been returned a long time ago.

There are many other bronzes left at the British Museum and all other galleries and museums across Europe, but the Met has already made its first move that could cause a ripple effect. Perhaps, other museums could come up with the same decision and bring their collection of Benin Bronzes back to their rightful homeland.

Feeling Bored And Lonely In This Lockdown Period? Use The Time To Enthuse Your Kids To Art

The coronavirus disease of 2019 or COVID-19 has already been declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), meaning that the deadly virus causing the pneumonia-like illness, or the SARS-CoV 2, has already been infecting a huge number of the global population at a very alarming rate. In late 2019, reports coming from Wuhan, China already gave the world some sort of a heads-up that a health crisis could come knocking in everyone’s door sooner or later. However, the world was still caught off guard by the way COVID-19 has spread in every continent, forcing major cities from Asia to the Americas to enforce lockdown measures.

Probably you are one of the millions of people all over the world who have no choice but to stay inside their homes in hopes that the spread of the novel coronavirus would be halted. People are also expected to practice social distancing and avoid mass gatherings, which means that you only have yourself and your household to interact with.

This does not have to be a sad thing, though, especially for the kids in your house. Why not take this as an opportunity to introduce the children into new and fun activities, like creating artworks?

Before all the mess that COVID-19 has brought upon the world, people can always enjoy the comfort of their homes and look for something interesting to do. The kids can also have the weekends to spend their free time playing and discovering new hobbies. In the time of home quarantine, however, looking for fun stuff to do can be challenging, as you tend to do the same thing over and over again. Back then, people can gather and attend to fun group activities together, like making awesome murals for the community.

As families are stuck inside their homes as a precaution against the pandemic, doing art activities is a great choice to form a special bond among the family members. For the children, especially, teaching them about art is a great moment for them to see you as parents who can introduce them to a lot of new things, therefore further securing your position as their role models. Also, making them busy with art will make them develop special skills that may later on become useful. With your IPTV smarters, you can easily watch informative video clips with your children to make them inclined towards art.

Who knows, one of your kids has the talent to be a great artist, and making him or her appreciate art during the home quarantine period would be the start of a wonderful, artistic journey?

No Art Exhibits Or Museums In Your Community? Create Your Own With Mural Painting!

It is just normal for a beginner artist to feel conscious about their artworks. There is always that fear of being judged unfairly or fear that the audience might no appreciate your work. Still, there is joy in introducing your love of art to the world. If you become big and successful as an artist, you can set up your own art exhibit for the public to enjoy your marvelous creations. You can flex your mad skills in applying acrylics and make your mark as an artist. Although, you can also give back to the community instead by making your art more accessible to a wider audience, and that is by making mural paintings.

How Mural Painting Came To Life And What Are Its Impacts To The Community?

The word “mural” pertains to an artwork that is placed directly to a wall or ceiling. What’s interesting is that the practing of creating mural actually originated tens of thousands of years ago. The first murals are believed to be created by the first men in walls inside the cave where they lived in. Of course, back then, the concept of art is not as pronounced as what we have today. However, because creativity is inate to every human, the first men were able to express their artistic juices by drawing figures in the walls through carving. Throughout the years, we have discovered many ways on how to create figures. At this point, we now know how to apply paint to a wall.

Because anyone can create murals in empty walls in a community, for as long as you have permission to do so, this makes visual art more accessible to everybody. You just need to have a creative mind and skillful hands to create wonderful works of art right on the wall. There is no strict science here in which you should take a data science skills assessment.

You should also remember that not only those who can afford a trip to large museums must have the chance to learn art. By looking at the magnificent murals in the community, everyone, even the young ones, can appreciate art more deeply and even discuss among themselves about their understanding in art.

Introduce Your Community To Art And Its Wonders By Bringing Your Artwork To Them!

The problem in our society today is that the appreciation of art has become a class issue, because even if we deny it, only those in the upper class have access to renowned visual artworks and study about them. This is through taking up art classes and visiting art galleries and museums, and we know that going to these places would require you to shed some bucks.

By setting up a mural painting location in your community, you can help your neighbors to experience something fun and enjoyable. You can also know other people who may share the same skills and interests as you, and maybe build a larger team so that you can influence more people in the community to love art.

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