Awuni Samuel, Bekoe Gabriel, Owusu Panin Kwame Baah, Donkor Eyram Emmanuel, Opoku-Bonsu Kwame (2023)

Traditional wood carving and contemporary wood sculpture are amicable in the world of art and have coordinated their working ways in shaping the wood art traditions. The study, comparatively, assesses Ahwiaa traditional wood carving and contemporary wood sculpture in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana based on their materiality, forms and functions. The study adopts descriptive research design using observation, interviews and photography to gather data from twenty (20) purposively sampled experts in the study area. Data collected for the study were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis tool. The outcome of the study shows that Ahwiaa carvers used locally produced tools for carving while KNUST contemporary carvers employ sophisticated equipment in their carving activities. However, both traditional and contemporary wood practices in the study area used wood as the common material to produce carvings that impact Ghanaian cultural heritage, social progress and artistic practices. The study therefore concludes that traditional and contemporary woodcarving practices in the study area are two interconnected forms of wood art that have the potential to inspire, challenge, and complement each other when collaboration and interdependence exist between them. The study calls for collaboration and interdependence between Ahwiaa traditional wood carvers and KNUST contemporary wood sculptors to inspire and open up exciting opportunities for artistic exploration, adventure, innovation, cross-pollination of ideas and expertise for the growth of wood art in the study area. 

Owusu Panin Kwame Baah, Dickson Adom, Awuni Samuel, Ama Fening Peggy, Nicholas Addo Tetteh (2023)

Various techniques are used by jewellers in Ghana in depositing a film of gold on surfaces of jewellery items. Although traditional goldplating has and continues to chalk a high level of excellence in jewellery making in Ghana, little documentation has been done on it. While traditional goldplating has been practiced for decades in Ghana, the introduction of electroplating into jewellery in Ghana is downplaying its relevance. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to find out how indigenous Asante goldplating technique is done in Ghana. The study adopted the use of an art-based research design under the qualitative research approach where personal interviews, photographs, and participatory observation were used for collecting qualitative data from 19 purposively sampled Asante’s goldsmiths at Manhyia and Ayeduase in Kumasi, Ghana using expert sampling. The findings of the study have shown that traditional gold plating is an aesthetically pleasing, low cost and efficient technique used by the Asante goldsmiths that has not lost its worth. The study contends that skills and knowledge in traditional goldplating should be passed on from goldsmiths to jewellers and other apprentices who are interested in learning the craft. This would help preserve and promote this rich cultural craft for posterity.