Kgosi Sechele I Museum to host Thapong Arts workshop

MAUREEN ODUBENG
Staff Writer | Friday February 6, 2009 00:00

 

Themed Art Healing and Social Responsibility, this works will put more accent on using art as a tool in the fight against the HIV/AIDS scourge. 

Thapong, being the only art centre in Botswana, is starting to be active in encouraging professionalism among artists. Facilitator Ivy Radipodi, says the workshop participants will explore some of the relationships between arts, notions of mapping the body healing and issues of social responsibility.

'This will centre on specific body parts that are affected by HIV and AIDS, therapeutic and advocacy tools that will be required to be developed for 'real world' application within a local community intervention.'

This practical project will be contextualised in relation to existing educational measures used to teach both the illiterate and literate about the scourge. The therapeutic and socially responsible arts, are to be located within contemporary Botswana realities, with particular emphasis on the individual body illnesses,' Radipodi said,
Radipodi further explained that the project aims to give the participants focused practical experience of working with art as a therapeutic and advocacy tool as well as an educational venture geared towards contributing towards the country's Vision 2016 pillar on health.Artists will be required to do extensive research and come up with artworks that will help them reach out to both patients and health institutions. 

In an interview with Arts and Culture, Thapong coordinator, Reginald Bakwena said that through this workshop, they are trying to discover talent in the arts, and at the same time create opportunities for interaction among artists. He added that the workshops are a way of interactively working with artist with the aim of giving valuable education on how they can establish themselves and work together as a team. Currently being the only art centre in Botswana, Bakwena stated that they host these type of workshop in different areas to encourage artists to pursue art in their own areas.

'These workshops motivate artists to take their work seriously,' he said. He noted that these workshops are meant to show artists that they can use their artworks to make a living by selling them. In addition, he said, the workshops also encourage the exchange of ideas, because there are artists who have skill but do not know how to apply their skills. 

'So these workshops also serve to help this kind of artist to improve and upgrade their standard of living.'

About the Facilitator
The workshop facilitator, Ivy Radipodi, is a talented sculptor who exhibits her extraordinary printmaking skills in both her clay sculptors and ceramics. Her artwork concentrates more on feminine issues, including issues of fertility.  She uses mostly natural resources such as beans (dinawa), mabele (sorghum), and boloko (dung).

Radipodi teaches Art and Design at Naledi Senior Secondary School in Gaborone.

Radipodi trained as an Art Teacher at Molepolole College of Education from 1993 to 1995, and went into teaching the following year. She also holds a BA in Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Radipodi has been active in visual art activities locally, regionally and internationally. She describes herself as an outgoing and confident woman.

With the ability to engage an audience through excellent communication and presentation skills in visual arts, she says she has an inquisitive mind and keeps abreast of current affairs regarding the visual arts.

Radipodi has participated in a number of exhibitions, including the SADC exhibition in Namibia, Artists in Botswana, an annual National Museum and Art Gallery exhibition, Thapong Artist of the Year, Cape Town Biannale, and Michaelis School of Fine Arts, just to mention a few.