Fred Ezeh, Abuja
An Integrated Marketing Services firm, Marvel Matrix, has opened a window of opportunity for some Nigerian students that desire a career in art and crafts to begin the process of realising that dream.
They organised a maiden Marvel Art challenge for over 62 public schools in FCT with focus on activities that surround “The story of money in Nigeria”, to basically, stimulate creativity in them and reignite a career in art and craft.
Interested students were made to pass through in-house selection process and few of them that scaled through the preliminary stage at the school level were picked to participate in the first Marvel art challenge that was held at Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, Zone 4, Abuja.
The Chief Executive Officer, Phil Okoroafor, told news media that each of the participating public school submitted the name of two students that participated in the art challenge.
Okoroafor said the art challenge was meant to drill the students and stir their creativity pool, with financial reward for few students with outstanding performance.
She explained: “The thought of how we could challenged the creativity mind of these younger generation was what gave birth to the art challenge. We agreed that the students would interpret the theme of the contest “the story of money” through their art work, either drawing, painting, graphics and textiles.
“We first dropped the story line “the story of money in Nigeria” with art teachers in the accredited schools and challenged them to do further research to make the students have better understanding of the challenge and interpret it well through drawing and other art works.
“We broke down the art chal- lenge. The drawing is on coins and cowries while the painting
focused on the period of trade by barter which chronicled the evolution of money in Nigeria. I am deeply impressed with the performance of that students.”
An Art teacher from Government Secondary School, By- hazin, Kubwa, in Abuja, Sunday Ushokhai, said the competition was a morale booster for stu- dents, some of whom have expressed strong desire for career in drawing, painting and other art.
He encouraged other private individuals and corporate organisations to emulate the organisers by providing a platform for students to fine tune their art skills and possibly make fruitful career in the profession.