NAG receives inventory of National Art collections

By Onyeka Ezike

In a bid to ensure the digitalization of art collections and provide easy access to the art inventory, the National Arts Gallery recently received the inventory of national art collections from across the country. The gallery had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Goethe-Institut and other partners to improve the National Arts Gallery and create easy accessibility for curators and researchers. The event was recently held at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

The event was attended by some dignitaries in the art industry and partners, including the Director-General of the National Gallery of Art, Mr. Ahmed Bashir Sodangi; the Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Aisha Augie; the Director of the Goethe-Institut, Dr. Nadine Siegert; the German Consulate Lagos representative, Ms. Udochukwu Okeahialam; artist Ndidi Dike; and Vera Parmi, a representative from Julius Berger, a major partner in the project.

Speaking at the event, the project coordinator, Mr. Tobi Bolaji Idowu, said there is a need to update the inventory in the collection and make it easily accessible to researchers and art enthusiasts, especially given the upcoming commissioning of the National Theatre.

“We had to create a new project out of our idea of just making an exhibition; we had to work with partners to document the collections and make them accessible for curators and researchers. We have been documenting this for a long time, gathering the necessary information. Initially, we considered using different software for documentation, but because we wanted to make it very accessible to the public, we decided to use a spreadsheet, match the information, and create a solid inventory document all within a database.

“Although the team was young, we had to learn and share a lot of information, integrating our processes to ensure that years from now, the gallery and other researchers within Nigeria and beyond can depend on this.

“We also noticed we have 1,091 works just from Lagos,” he said.

The Julius Berger representative, Vera Parmi, said, “Art is a very important part of society and a reflection of the people and their experiences. This project is very important because it involves different sectors and has economic advantages.”

The Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts & Civilisation (CBAAC), Aisha Augie, an agency under the Ministry of Arts and Culture, said CBAAC supports the vision of having an inventory as it is important for planning.

“If we don’t know what we have, we can’t plan where we would like to be. We plan to take this to the global stage, as we believe Nigerian arts have always been leading globally. CBAAC and NGA will continue to work together to ensure this is maintained,” she noted.

The Director-General of the National Gallery of Art, Mr. Ahmed Bashir Sodangi, said, “Sometime in April last year, when every agency was asked to present a roadmap and goal achievement presentation during a ministerial retreat, we were also trying to see how we can align our individual goals and strategy with the presidential priorities and those of the Honourable Minister. Although it took us a while to understand who we are and how best to achieve our goals.

Sodangi explained further that the gallery conducted a review of the art ecosystem to see how it can be improved with the involvement of stakeholders. This led the team to develop some pillars. The gallery also adopted strategic ways to add value by creating a platform where these works can be digitalized. Additionally, the gallery implemented policy reforms, strategic collaborations, and fundraising efforts because the art ecosystem is large enough, and partnering with stakeholders who understand the arts industry and can champion it is part of the vision.

He also said that the inventory is part of efforts to reposition the gallery and make it contribute to the economy.

“We also entered into some strategic partnerships with the Goethe-Institut, the Museum of West African Art, Julius Berger, and Google to see how we can reposition the National Gallery of Art and its collections,” he noted.

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