From Workshop to Three-Dimensionality: A Biographic Study of Commercial Artists in the Ghanaian Visual Arts Education
Kofi Opoku-Mensah 
, Kwaame Kyere Diabour , Alex Kwasi Azaglo & Praise Kwaku Yegbe
Issue: Vol. 6 No.14 Article 6 pp. 3586 – 3602
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256146 | Published online 29th December, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The Ghanaian Visual Arts Education is a rich tapestry woven with threads of tradition and modernity, encompassing both the creative expressions of fine arts and the functional aesthetics of commercial arts. While existing scholarship has examined contemporary Ghanaian artists in academia, less attention has been paid to the specific contributions of the commercial artists who operate at the intersection of art, design, and commerce. This study sought to fill this gap by providing an in-depth biographic study of selected commercial artists and their professional lives, media, techniques, sources of inspiration, and impact on Ghana’s creative economy. Employing a qualitative descriptive research design, the study was conducted in Winneba, Takoradi and Kumasi of Ghana with instruments such as semi-structured interviews, direct observation, artifacts and photography to gather the required data for the study. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the gathered data through a purposive sampling technique of the three participants. The findings discovered that these commercial artists navigate a balance between artistic expression and market demands by contributing to Ghana’s visual culture and shaping its identity in a globalized world. The paper calls for further research by scholars and practitioners of Art Education into the diverse art forms of commercial artists and urges formal recognition of their role in Ghana’s cultural and economic development. The study contributes to scholarship by highlighting the symbolic and philosophical dimensions of design practices and positions visual arts education in Ghana as a critical space where design, lived experience, and communal values intersect.
Keywords: Biographic Study, Commercial Artists, Sculpture, Three-Dimensionality, Workshop.
Adi-Dako, M., & Antwi, E. (2014). Ghanaian Indigenous Sculpture through the Ghanaian Cultural Lens. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 3(11), 76–89.
Aftab, M. “The Importance of Sculpture.” Pangea Sculptures, 2023. https://pangeasculptures.com/blogs/news/the-importance-of-sculpture?srsltid=AfmBOorWm1jmrcirQ8QIy8NRgqCrPvQjp9BM9LrdlCLIzpUj-n5btFHJ.
Amenuke, S. K., Dogbe, B. K., Asare, F. D. K., Ayiku, R. K., & Baffoe, A. (1991). General knowledge in art for senior secondary schools. Ministry of EducationArnheim, R. Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye. New Version. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1974.
Baker, Don. Beyond Forgiveness: The Healing Touch of Church Discipline. Multnomah Press, 1984.
Barone, T., and E. W. Eisner. Arts-Based Research. London: SAGE Publications, 2012.
Berko, A. B. “Disabled Artists and Their Contribution to Ghanaian Art .” University of Education, 2009.
Boakye-Yiadom, Fredrick, Evans Kwadwo Donkor, and Ronald Osei Mensah. “Exploring the Role of Project-Based Learning in Higher Education to Promote Indigenous Knowledge through Sculpture Students’ Engagement with Ghanaian Adinkra Symbols.” Discover Global Society 3, no.1(2025):4.
Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, no. 2 (2006): 77–101.
Coşkun, Burçin, and Kübra Karakaya Özyer. “The Effect of Student Characteristics and Socioeconomic Status on Mathematics Achievement in Türkiye: Insights from TIMSS 2011-2019.” International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education 10, no. 3 (September 22, 2023): 454–81. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.1272517.
Creswell, J. W., and C. N. Poth. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches. SAGE Publications, 2018.
Creswell, John. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE, CA; Ofprnia. California: Sage Publications, 2013.
Creswell, John W, and Cheryl N Poth. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches. Sage Publications, 2016.
Danso, S. “The Role of Apprenticeship in the Development of Traditional Arts in Ghana .” Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, 1996.
Flick, U. An Introduction to Qualitative Research. 6th ed. Sage Publications, 2018.
Glover, Reuben Agbelengor, Cyril Senyo Kpodo, and Selasi Awusi Sosu. “Contract Cheating ‘Pseudepigraphy’. A Cardinal Sin in Higher Education? A Phenomenological Narrative of Andragogical Experiences, Insights and Reflections.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, December 24, 2024, 3140–56. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451636.
Markova, D. “ Eco-Art: Transforming Awareness through Creativity.” DOM Art Residence, March 18, 2025.
Mishra, Prabhaker, Chandra M Pandey, Uttam Singh, Anshul Gupta, Chinmoy Sahu, and Amit Keshri. “Descriptive Statistics and Normality Tests for Statistical Data.” Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia 22, no. 1 (2019): 67–72.
Opoku-Mensah, I. “Innovative Use of Materials in Ghanaian Sculpture.” Sculpture Review Africa 4, no. 1 (2018): 12–19.
Rodrigues Coelho, Iêgo, Álvaro Laranjeira, Sandra Dircinha Teixeira de Araújo Moraes, Paulo André Stein Messetti, and Alan Patricio da Silva. “Democratic Formation of the Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil of 1988 (CRFB/1988).” Revista Brasileira de Crescimento e Desenvolvimento Humano 33, no. 1 (2023).
Tracy, S. J. Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact. 2nd ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2019.
Velayutham, R., and S. Raman. “Contemporary Sculpture-Making Trends and Their Educational Implications.” Asian Journal of Arts Education 18, no. 2 (2024): 34–47.
Yavuz, Ö. E. “ A Study on the Problem of Meaning in the Art of Sculpture.” Art and Design Studies 114 (2023): 1–8.
Kofi Opoku-Mensah is an Assistant Lecturer at the Accra College of Education, located in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Arts and Culture from the University of Education, Winneba. His research focuses on Sustainability, Sculpture history, and education; Indigenous and contemporary practices.
Dr Kwame Kyere Diabour is a Lecturer at the Department of Art Education, Winneba. His research focuses on Art Education, Bamboo and Rattan utilization and Teacher Education.
Dr Alex Kwasi Azaglo is a lecturer at the Department of Creative Arts Education, Mampong Technical College of Education, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. He holds a terminal degree in African Art and Culture from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. His research interests include Art History, African Indigenous Practices, TVET, Visual Communication, Museum Studies, Design Aesthetics and Popular Culture. He is a member of professional bodies, including Design Ghana and the Art Teachers’ Association of Ghana. Dr Azaglo has been an itinerant and assistant examiner at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Ghana, since 2016. He’s currently the Unit Head of Professional Development, Research and International Relations at Mampong Technical College of Education.
Mr. Praise Kwaku Yegbe is an Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Creative Arts Education, Dambai College of Education, in the Oti Region of Ghana. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Textile Design Technology from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. His research interests include Textiles Circularity and Sustainability, Textiles and Fashion education, Textile Design, Textile consumer preferences, and Design Aesthetics. He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Institute of Textiles and Fashion Professionals, Design Ghana, and the Art Teachers’ Association of Ghana. Since 2016, Mr. Yegbe has served as an Itinerant Examiner and Team Leader at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Ghana. He is currently pursuing his terminal degree, a PhD in Textile Design Technology, at KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.
Opoku-Mensah, Kofi, Kwaame Kyere Diabour, Alex Kwasi Azaglo, and Praise Kwaku Yegbe. “From Workshop to Three-Dimensionality: A Biographic Study of Commercial Artists in the Ghanaian Visual Arts Education.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 14 (2025): 3586 -3602, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256146.
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
