Peggy Ama Fening’s research while affiliated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and other places

The roots of portraiture are most likely to be traced to if not prehistoric times, at least ancient Egyptian civilization. Over time, various forms, styles and significance of this genre emerged progressively in line with the various artistic traditions in history. In these contemporary times, portraiture strives immensely on the advancement of technology thereby giving rise to photorealism not only in the West but also among African/Ghanaian fine artists. The Erwin Panofsky's three-step approach to iconographic analysis was used to examine five meticulously pencil-rendered portraits by the Ghanaian photorealist Samuel Otu in the light of contemporary portraiture. The paper utilized a series of one-on-one interviews with the artist amidst studio observation to obtain primary data alongside relevant secondary sources of data. It was revealed that beyond the subjectivity or likeness of the subjects portrayed, the artist used these masterpieces to draw the attention of the viewer to the contemporary challenges of the African society.

Educational programmes whether vocational or not have the potential to shape students to be able to give back to their societies. Unfortunately, some attitudes of players of education can affect students so much to dampen their self-efficacy and interest in Ceramics education. This study investigated some educational stakeholders' and their attitudes that can possibly have negative impact on students' academic and career interest in Ceramics within the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. Three schools offering Ceramics in the metropolis were purposively selected. They consisted of one mixed-gender, one boys-only, and one girls-only schools. The study was exploratory research and adopted the QUAN+Qual mixed-methods triangulation to conduct the investigation. Data was concurrently gathered using questionnaire, interviews and observation. 273 participants, including students, teachers, schools’ heads and parents were sampled from the three selected schools. Four Likert scale questionnaire and “Yes or ‘No’ data type was employed where SPSS v24, excel spreadsheet applications as well as frequencies and percentages (descriptive statistical techniques) helped to simplify and interpret the data. The study's findings revealed that educational stakeholders such as parents, students and their peers, teachers and schools’ managers put up behaviours that discourage students’ interest in Ceramics. The study found that low employment opportunities in Ceramics is the primary reason why parents, students, and teachers discourage students’ academic and career interest in Ceramics. The study also conducted a chi-square to establish whether the age, programme and level in school had any correlation with their believe that there is a low employment opportunity in Ceramics. The results found that the level of students alone to have significant correlation with p>0.000.

The informal welding industry is one of the major SMEs in Ghana. The industry is however confronted with a lot of challenges which, therefore, can be addressed by the use of Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) and 5S concepts. This study evaluated the benefits of the PDCA and 5S concepts as strategic tools for improving the performance of the informal welding industry in Kumasi, Ghana, by using the exploratory research technique. The PDCA and 5S concepts were implemented for a period of six months using 50 welder industries selected by the stratified random sampling procedure. The diagnosis of the current state of the industry was initially measured through performance indicators generated through questionnaires, interviews and direct observations. The design of the solution strategy was then implemented using the concepts to mitigate the challenges previously identified. This was followed by data collection to monitor the performance of the study factors. The results showed a significant (66%) general improvement in the cleanliness of the work environment, work safety and health of workers of all the study workshops. There was also a general decrease in defective products, and reduction in raw material waste and an enhanced aesthetic value of products. A total of over 17 productivity variables were evaluated out of which 11 saw between 4% and 96 % improvement, which in all translated into boosting the morale of workers and customer confidence. The study contributes to the paradigm shift of SMEs to modern management systems for enhanced performance and competitiveness. Keywords: Continuous Improvement, Ghana, Informal Welding, Operational Excellence, Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), Strategic Implementation

Casting is important for the mass production of designs and therefore plays a critical role in sculpture and other forms of art. Nevertheless, the application of many new and innovative machineries and conventional materials during practical sessions in the teaching and learning of metal casting raises the cost load on students coupled with some unfriendly orthodox materials which contain harmful compounds and are detrimental to human health. The purpose of this study is to explore solid waste aluminium for metal casting in sculpture. Non-biodegradable materials with aluminium in them were collected from restaurants and pubs, gutters, landfills, funeral and party grounds, and aluminium window and frame producers in the Atwima Nwabiagya Municipality in Nkawie district. Solid waste aluminium identified were sorted, shredded, and washed to make it ready for melting and poured into a mother mould for final casting. Beverage cans with brand names such as Malt, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Adonko Next Level, Milo, and others, including waste aluminium chips, waste aluminium window frames and doors, and waste aluminium from fufu pounding machines, are part of the significant ones recognised to produce a sizable amount of molten metal for casting. This study made use of quantitative-quasi-experiment, case study and action research methods. Focus group interviews, personal observation of the solid waste aluminium materials were employed for metal casting. These materials were recycled and used by art students and teachers for teaching and learning sculpture as well as their project work. In each stage of the study, experiential learning was found to be the most effective method of problem-solving. Based on the evidence gathered in this study, the most valuable outcomes are group learning through association and cooperative problem-solving. This study has demonstrated that when students actively engage in this learning process, they learn more effectively. Plaster mould casting has been shown to be feasible in the classroom without the need for lost wax method of casting. There is no need to manufacture vents or gating systems. Identifying alternative materials by teachers and students at all levels of sculpture learning must be prioritized. With the continuing divergence in aesthetic responsiveness, creativity, and sustainable development, sculpture teachers and sculptors must turn to solid-waste aluminium as an alternative medium for teaching, learning, and producing artwork.

The roots of portraiture are most likely to be traced to, if not prehistoric times, at least to ancient Egyptian civilization. Over time, various forms, styles, and significances of this genre emerged progressively in line with the various artistic traditions in history. In these contemporary times, portraiture strives immensely on the advancement of technology, thereby giving rise to photorealism not only in the West but also among African/Ghanaian fine artists. Erwin Panofsky’s three-step approach to iconographic analysis was used to examine five meticulously pencil-rendered portraits by the Ghanaian photorealist Samuel Otu in the light of contemporary portraiture. The paper utilized a series of one-on-one interviews with the artist amidst studio observation to obtain primary data alongside relevant secondary sources of data. It was revealed that beyond the subjectivity or likeness of the subjects portrayed, the artist used these masterpieces to draw the attention of the viewer to the contemporary challenges of African society.