UWSP to host resident sculptor from Ghana

The Department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been selected to host a sculptor from Ghana through an international fellowship and residency program.

Fredrick Martey Oko-Matey will begin a 45-day residency on Sept. 14, using his time at UWSP to demonstrate carvings in wood and cement as well as lecture on his work and methods. Oko-Matey transforms tree stems, trunks and roots by integrating traditional themes of Ghanian visual art into a contemporary idiom. He incorporates the cracks, knots, holes, and burns in the wood into the pieces to create different forms of expression.

Oko-Matey said his works "express my own personal emotions while providing the viewer a means to encounter their own." His art intertwines environmental ideals with figurative elements as well as historical African sculpture with his European-style art training.

Because of its large scale, a good portion of his work will be viewable in process for both the public, staff and students outside the Fine Arts Center. Two lectures have been scheduled, with more activities to be announced with Oko-Matey’s arrival. On Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 4 p.m., he will speak about sculpture in Ghana. Following the lecture there will be a reception in the Carlsten Gallery of the Fine Arts Center. On Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 4:15 p.m., he will discuss his American experience. Both lectures will take place in room A206 of the Fine Arts Center.

"This is a real value for our students," said Gary Hagen, chair of the Department of Art and Design. "The students will not only have extended contact with the sculptor, they will have exposure to a sculptor from a different culture."

Hagen applied for Oko-Matey’s residency through the International Fellowship and Residency Program for Visual Artists, sponsored by the Mid-America Alliance and the United States Information Agency. UWSP was one of twenty locations selected to host artists from all over the world. Oko-Matey was requested and matched with UWSP because he preferred a smaller college or university for his residency.

In speaking to students, Oko-Matey will address the substance of his work, Hagen said, explaining what major influences of geography and cultural background are used in producing contemporary sculpture.

"Oko-Matey’s large scale work creates a new set of logistics that is good for our students to see," he added. "It is also important for our students to see a different vision in the art being made."

The residency is being funded through grants from the Mid-America Alliance and the UW System Institute on Race and Ethnicity.

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