You're invited

Our computer got so old that it wouldn't blog or do much of anything anymore, so here we are with our new MAC . We'll try to keep up to date.
It's summertime here in the northern hemisphere.That means that it's time for us to head for the equator and Ghana. We're having our annual artist residency at Aba House. Hope to have some nice photos for you soon.
If you're thinking about next summer already, let us know and we'll send you information about our residency for next year. aba@culturalcollaborative.org

summer at Aba House

After months of planning we approach our first ARTIST RESIDENCY. It has been quite an undertaking working with people on 3 continents & getting everything lined up.I often wonder what people did before email and SKYPE.
Cross Cultural Collaborative working in collaboration with Ghana Art Teachers Association - Ghana Association of Visual Artists and Afro Dance & Creative Arts will sponsor a visual arts exhibition called "Ghana Life:A Cultural Reflection" at the National Centre for Culture in Accra.
And as part of the exhibition we will offer workshops on traditional & contemporary art techniques and traditional African dance and drumming.
Participation in the exhibition has closed, but sign up for workshops is in progress, so if you're going to be in Ghana and are interested, let us know (aba@culturalcollaborative.org) and we'll send you the schedule.

Wherever you are this summer we hope you have a peaceful and creative summer.

Artist Residency in Ghana

If you missed our first call for the residency, we now have space for a few more participants.
If interested, please contact us for details.

Cross Cultural Collaborative

Artists Residency in GHANA

August 17 - August 31, 2015

The residency is open to 10 people who are interested in cultural exchange & collaboration with African artists

Participants will live and work at our cultural center/guest house in a fishing village - will mentor young Ghanaian artists - will exhibit in a gallery in Accra &will learn about the rich culture & traditions of GHANA

Artist can work in (but not limited to) paper - book arts - painting - collage - photography - textiles

If interested in an application contact

aba@culturalcollaborative.org

There is no application fee,but if accepted the residency cost is $1800.00

INCLUDES: airport pickup - room - meals -one guided visit to Accra - participation at an exhibit at a gallery in Accra - one exhibit catalog - performance by a traditional drum and dance troupe - pre-departure orientation -help with logistics

NOT INCLUDED: airfare and related expenses - art materials

CROSS CULTURAL COLLABORATIVE is a 501 (C) 3 NGO that brings people from different cultures together to interact creatively and strongly believes in mentoring young Ghanaian artists

http://www.culturalcollaborative.org

Summer in Nungua

We're on our way to Ghana for the summer.

Ghanaians are so upbeat. They are already planning for the World Cup in 2014. The other day a Ghanaian told me that when he was growing up they would use cabbages as soccer balls. The kids had no idea that you were supposed to eat them.

That's all changed now and cabbage stew is a favorite served over yam.

To continue the metaphor, we have a lot on our plate. Dates with Ghanaian and visiting potters, textile enthusiasts, teachers and the Nungua kids.

We'll also be getting ready for the kids 2nd gallery show. This one will be in Philadelphia.

Our first book has gone to press....just a short one and the second longer book is being researched.

More when we come back. We hope you have a great summer.

Remember to be creative!

The new year

In typical African fashion we are bit late with our first blog of the new year. It's our goal to get one out each month.....I am in awe of people who manage to write one everyday!
Ghana has a new president, John Atta Mills, and America has a new president, Barack Obama. Last year when President Bush came to Ghana, I asked a Ghanaian why he thought that he had come and the Ghanaian said, "I think that he's selling mosquito nets." Let's hope that when President Obama visits the expectations are higher.

The Aba House kids are participating in One World-Many Papers, an exhibit being assembled in Tawain and traveling around the world until the end of 2010. It will open at the Distillary Gallery in Boston, MA USA on April 3,2009.
The exhibit is a map of the world made up of handmade paper from 42 countries. The Aba House kids were asks to represent Ghana and are the only children in the exhibit. As always, we are very proud of them.

Aba will participate in a conference, also to be held in Boston, entitled "International Opportunities in the Arts" to take place April 3-5,2009.

We have put together a teachers kit ( grades 1-3) that contains everything needed to teach a unit on Ghana. The feedback from teachers using them has been positive. Among other things the kit contains a DVD of various craftspeople working in Ghana and a DVD of Ghanaian music. If interested, contact us and we'll send more information.

For a fun diversion go to http://www.adinkragame.com/ and pass the cursor over the symbols.
And if you want to buy adinkra stamps, we'd be happy to sell them to you.

As always, we will be working with the Aba House children this coming summer and have several volunteers to teach papermaking, bookbinding and other creative skills. We are looking for a volunteer to teach computer skills. Aba House has 6 donated computers and many, many children who'd like to learn how to use them. Know any geeks who'd like to summer in an African fishing village?

And we'll end with a poem by GOETHE:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genious, power and magic in it.
Begin it now.



aba@culturalcollaborative.org

Summer newsletter 2008

As I write this President Kufour is receiving a 21 gun salute in Washington, DC. Last Feb. his friend George Bush visited Ghana. I was in Ghana then and am in the States now. I wonder if they're timing thier visits with mine.

Aba House is quiet now. In July we had a full house of tourists, teachers, artists and assorted visitors. One of our visitors was a BBC reporter who was impressed with our program. Another visitor, a teacher, wrote a blog: surdnaghana.blogspot.com

In August our volunteer from Australia returned and we got down to some serious book and papermaking. We also had a volunteer from Swarthmore College help for a few weeks.
The Aba House kids came everyday, a few very early to sweep the yard. Dividing into groups, more or less by age, they made tons of paper, blank books, calendars, diaries and greeting cards.
The kids are always enthusiastic, but the incentive this time was preparing for their first NYC show. They are very proud of themselves and rightly so.
The show will be at the Phoenix Gallery in November, 2008. We are working on an invitation and will be sending it soon. If you're in the NY area, please come and say hello.

One of our volunteers will be selling our books in Hawaii next month at the Friends of Dard Hunter Conference.

We have been invited to participate in a world wide paper map to be assembled in Taiwan. There are 30 countries represented. Guess which one we represent....I'll write more about this project in a followup post.

We had a very generous donation of 3 computers, so in our next session we'll do some creative writing and illustrating.

There are times when I scratch my mind, as a Ghanaian once said to me, about customs in Ghana. There really is no rhyme or reason to some of them. Now a Ghanaian has writen a book that doesn't necessarily explain them, but it makes for amusing reading. The book is "The Imported Ghanaian" and her blog is http://tigb.blogspot.com

We are working on our plans for 2009, so be in touch if you want to come to Ghana. We are also considering a trip to FESPAC, a film festival in Burkina Faso at the end of Feb. Interested?

We like to hear from people and are always open to collaborations.

I'll close for now with my favorite quote: Trust in God, but tie your camel well.

Aba