ANUJAT/VOLUME 8/NUMBER 2/ MAY 2021/ARTICLE 12

Volume 8/ Number 2 May 2021 Article 12

The Role of Exhibitions in ART Education in some Selected Senior High

Schools in the Bono Ahafo Region of Ghana

RHODA INGE BOAMAH

RHODA INGE BOAMAH holds a Master of Philosophy in Arts Education from the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi,
Ghana. She is a professional teacher.

ERIC APPAU ASANTE

ERIC APPAU ASANTE holds a PhD in African Arts and Culture from the Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He is a
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Innovations at KNUST, Ghana.

For this and additional works at:

anujat.anuc.edu.gh
Copyright © May 2021 All Nations University Journal of Applied Thought
(ANUJAT) and Authors
 ANUJAT/VOLUME 8/NUMBER 2/ MAY 2021/ARTICLE 12

Recommended Citation:
Boamah, R. I. & Asante, E. A. (2021). The Role of Exhibitions in ART Education
in some Selected Senior High Schools in the Bono Ahafo Region of Ghana. All
Nations University Journal of Applied Thought (ANUJAT),8(2): 175-197. All
Nations University Press. doi:http://doi.org/10.47987/ EGCD2176
Available at: http://anujat.anuc.edu.gh/Vol8/No2/12.pdf

Research Online is the Institutional repository for All Nations University College. For
further information, contact the ANUC Library: anujat@anuc.edu.gh

Abstract
This study examines the impact of art exhibitions on the teaching, learning, and practice of Art
Education in selected Senior High Schools in the Bono Region of Ghana. The study posed two
major questions: What is the state of art exhibition practice in the selected schools? What are the
emerging roles of art exhibitions in Art Education? The study employed both qualitative and
quantitative research designs. The study used a sample size of eighty-one (81) participants from a
population of 161 Visual Art students and teachers from three selected schools using the simple
random and purposive sampling techniques respectively. On research question one, the study
established that the present state of art exhibition practice in the Senior High Schools was
constrained due to the uncooperative attitude of school leadership resulting in irregular
organization of such events. In relation to research question two, it was found that exhibitions play
diverse roles in art education. Among others, art exhibitions serve as lenses through which
learning objectives in art education are measured; and that the use of artefacts for exhibitions
results in the appreciation of cultural diversity among students; they also harness and develop
exhibitors’ research skills and critical thinking. Recommendations for exhibitors, schools, and the
Government made include encouraging exhibitors to explore the use of other non-conventional
materials in producing art works; setting aside non-academic days such as Saturdays and Sundays
for exhibitions; and encouraging art students to inculcate artists’ statement during exhibition of
their artworks to enhance their writing skills and self-reflection respectively.
Keywords: Art exhibitions; Art education; Visual Arts; Senior High Schools; Ghana

Introduction
Art exhibitions have a far-reaching and multifaceted history, emerging with the ever-changing
social, economic and political demands of society. The tradition of art exhibitions was further
catalysed by globalisation and technological advancements, while at the same time challenging
new societal demands (Beldan, 2012). Art exhibitions fundamentally function as the facilitator of

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art to the citizenry because it characterizes a way of displaying and contextualizing various forms
which are relevant and available to present-day audiences. One of the main goals of art exhibitions
involves making art relevant to society (Read, 2019). Art Education offers students with focus-
driven processes that allow them to discover alternative ways to communicate globally. Students
are educated to investigate and acquire aesthetic skills and improve their emotional, intellectual
and creative capabilities.
Bamford and Wimmer (2012) argue that the practical component of Art Education, which is an
integral part, emboldens learners to effectively visualize and critically reflect the art design and
production processes. Art education scales up learners’ competencies in their various career paths
through creativity acquisition skills to promote fluency in varied visual communication systems.
Even though art education is a complex of design education and creative practices that involve the
development of perceptual consciousness and the skill of using tools and materials expressively,
it ultimately provides an all-inclusive change of the learners’ mental, physical and spiritual
faculties (Mahgoub, 2015). Art Education is not restricted to artistic production only; it also
encompasses the process of learning the arts by focusing on exploration, reflection and pursuit for
interpretation of the arts. The rationale of art education in Ghana is the provision of a platform for
learners to actively participate in their learning through interaction and exploration of the media,
tools and creation, other than passively receiving tuition always. This study was designed to
investigate the impact of art exhibitions in the art education syllabi and how this has been shaped
by teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the role of Art Exhibitions in Art Education in selected
Senior High Schools in the Bono Region of Ghana.
Art exhibitions are known to be essential components of art education globally. In Ghana, it forms
part of the art education syllabi spanning the basic, second cycle and tertiary levels of education.
this assertion is further elucidated in the secondary school art syllabi of GKA, Textile, Jewellery,
and Leatherwork (CRDD, 2010). Despite the relevance of art exhibitions in the teaching, learning
and practice of arts, it appears that the art exhibition component of art education faces
implementation challenges in Senior High Schools in Ghana. Several factors may account for this
challenge. Opoku-Asare et al. (2015), posit that structural overload of the existing syllabi of art
education in Senior High Schools impacts negatively on the achievement of the objectives of the
3-year SHS programme which, among others, include the training of capable artisans upon
completion of the SHS programme. However, within the existing 3-year SHS programme, it
appears that art teachers are unable to implement the art exhibition component, thus depriving
learners of the exhibition protocols prescribed by the art syllabus.
Furthermore, this situation is exacerbated by the lack of required resources (Opoku-Asare and
Siaw, 2016). Axadzi (2016) enumerated several challenges with the teaching of Visual Arts in
Colleges of Education in Ghana listing, among others, the non-availability of required resources
such as art studios and storage spaces. The effects of the lack of these facilities include the eroding
of students’ beliefs in the prospect of their future trade, dwindling interest and poor academic
performance in the art subjects. For instance, the lack of studio facilities discourages students from
appreciating why they were constantly bothered to display their artworks at the end of each

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academic term as they perceived exhibitions to contribute marginally to their academic

performance. Such students may participate in exhibitions because it is a requirement of the
syllabi. Often, the lack of modern art studio facilities also ignites a notion among art students that
the exhibition programme lacked innovation, for which reason they found the exhibitions very
boring and a waste of their time and energy. For some of these students, time spent on organizing
these exhibitions could have been redirected to useful academic activities like learning core
subjects to improve their academic performance (Tachie-Menson et al., 2015).
Again, teachers rarely assess their students on the exhibition component during the assessment of
students’ projects, even though assessment of artworks cannot be divorced from the success of
students studying the craft (Hasnawati et al., 2019). Even after student’s artworks are assessed,
they are not properly preserved as a result of the lack of suitable storage facilities. Brako-Hiapa
(2011) recounts that almost all the project works by students that have been marked by art tutors
are packed in a box and locked in schools’ stores and other unkempt places; making access to them
for public viewing and appreciation very difficult. It is reasserted that it becomes even more serious
and problematic when student works are inconsiderately left in the open under the severe weather
conditions to waste away. This is reinforced by Gillespie (2011) that a chunk of marked artworks
is most often discarded in garbage or trash cans with a few ones selected for purpose of decorating
head teachers’ office and staff common room.
The non-implementation of the art exhibition component of the arts syllabi has resulted in apathy
and disinterest in respect of its teaching, learning, and practical demonstration among tutors and
students of Visual Arts in some Senior High Schools in Ghana. More so, rural and peri-urban
communities are more resource-constrained, leading to students in these communities being under-
trained in the arts. Opoku-Asare and Siaw (2016) attributed the lack of studio facilities, shortage
of qualified teachers, and insufficient funding as some of the problems accounting for poor
academic performance in the arts in SHSs in rural communities. Axadzi (2016) explained that most
Colleges of Education in the Western Region of Ghana were bedevilled with under-funding and
under-resourcing except the Holy Child College of Education, located in urbanised Takoradi,
which was supported by the Catholic Church. Most of the under-resourced colleges are located in
peri-urban and rural communities. The phenomenon of lack of facilities for art exhibitions coupled
with the lack of interest and apathy towards art exhibitions in the art education syllabus is a cause
for concern for the future of artists as this perpetuates the negative perception of the arts in schools
in Ghana (Opoku-Asare et al., 2015; Opoku-Bonsu et al., 2017).
Burton (2006) observes that artworks produced by students should be exhibited because exhibition
forms part of the artistic formation and pedagogical practices that makes art education more
comprehensible and enhanced. Holdhus and Espeland (2013) maintain that an exhibition is
considered an integral part of art practice and education and is an emerging career in the world of
arts. Students need the opportunity to express themselves or tell their own stories through a variety
of modes such as exhibitions (Hetland et al., 2015). An exhibition in a form of competition helps
to enrich teaching and learning (Chang, 2006). The approach of teaching and training students in
the craft of art exhibitions as embedded in the visual art syllabi need to be given more attention to

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enhancing future artists’ opportunities to interface with the public. Based on the problem, the
specific research questions the study sought to answer were: What is the state of art exhibition
practice in the selected Senior High Schools in the Bono Region of Ghana? What are the emerging
roles of art exhibitions in art education?

Conceptual Framework

The study applies the logic model to assess the impact of art exhibitions on art education. The use
of the Logic model helped to ascertain how the emerging roles of art exhibition contribute to
success chalked by students and instructors regarding teaching and learning of art in schools,
especially at the second cycle level. The theoretical proposals on the inputs, outputs and outcomes
of the art exhibition using the Logic model helps to examine the systematic understanding of the
art exhibition processes and methods about its impact on art students’ performance.
According to Taylor-Powell et al. (2003), the Logic Model is a graphical representation of a
programme displaying the intended connections amongst investments and results. The application
of this framework (Logic model) is intended to do an orderly and visual presentation of one’s
appreciation regarding the linkage between the resources used in planning and organizing an art
exhibition, and the results that would be accomplished.

Figure 1 Logic Model for University of Wisconsin, Extension Program for

Development.

Figure 1: Logic Model Framework

Source: Taylor-Powell et al. (2003, p.23)
Figure 1 shows six (6) main components of the logic model that are situation, inputs, outputs,
outcomes, assumptions and external factors which co-exist to help in evaluating the art exhibition
system. Despite the complexity in the system’s (art exhibition) evaluation, each component of the
logic model has a different purpose, process and outcomes that influence each other directly to
gain expected or unexpected results.

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The situation sets the foundation/beginning point for logic model progress. The problems or issue
that the art exhibition system seeks to address accumulates within a setting or a condition. In this
study, the situation section sought to analyse and diagnose the bottlenecks or challenges that
confront the effective and efficient planning and organization of art exhibition.
Inputs are the invested resources and contributions that go into the planning and organization of
art exhibition. In this study, inputs took into consideration the invested resources and contributions
that go into the planning and organization of art exhibition in senior high school.
Outputs: For this study, the outputs section dealt with the activities, events, products, and services
that reach participants or target people during the planning and organization of art exhibition in
the study area.
Outcomes are the benefits/results; thus the worth of changes for people, agencies, groups,
businesses, communities, and systems. In this section, the outcomes sought to determine the
benefits/results that are derived from the planning and organization of art exhibition in senior high
schools. However, even though this study involved the Outcome component, this report does not
include the Outcome component of the framework which involves the impact of art exhibitions in
art education.
Assumptions are the convictions (beliefs) we have about the event, the general population
involved, and how we think art exhibition works. In this study, the assumptions section focused
on students and instructors’ convictions (beliefs) about the planning and organization of art
exhibition in the study area, the roles they think art exhibition plays in the student’s academic life,
and how art exhibition should be planned and organized.
External factors are the environments within which an art exhibition is planned and organized,
relative to its variation of outer variables that can interact and impact the success of art education.
They consist of the atmosphere, the lighting system, the period of the exhibition, the number of
participants to exhibit, space and the economic aspect to be invested and derived from the event.
These outside factors may have a real impact on the accomplishment of results.

Related Literature
Art Education in Senior High Schools

The Art Education branch at the Senior High School level constitutes the Visual Art elective
subjects, which are nine in number. The Visual Art elective subjects comprise Basketry, Sculpture,
Leather and Jewellery, Graphic Design, Picture-Making and Textile (Selase et al., 2019). Of the
nine, General Knowledge in Art (GKA) is a compulsory subject. The rest are categorized as three-
dimensional and two-dimensional forms. The three-dimensional forms include Sculpture,
Ceramics, Leather, Basketry and Jewellery, while the two-dimensional works are Picture-making,
Textile and Graphic Design. All schools at this level select one subject from each group and add
it to the General Knowledge in Art (which is compulsory for all Art students). Schools with
adequate technical and physical structures and potentials in instructional resources can offer extra

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visual art elective subjects to provide preferences for the learners (CRDD, 2008). All through the
period of final year, learners at the senior high school level are made to undertake the West African
Secondary School Certificate Examinations and the successful candidates’ progress to Teacher
Training Colleges, Nursing Training Colleges, Technical Universities and Polytechnics, or
Universities to pursue diploma and degree programmes.
What constitutes an Exhibition?

Exhibitions have their type, which is collected together in several ways to project the entire
organisation and quality of the exhibition. They extremely vary from the experiences obtained
from reading and viewing resources. They have their particular means of enhancing education and
other collaborative undertakings. Exhibitions are mostly visually-based activities that create
displays for a variety of object-audience experiences whereby observation of these exhibits
connect to the intellectual, emotional and general aim of the exhibition. Exhibition organizers place
prominence on the items that boost the experiences of the visitors or play around the design
elements to augment the effects of the exhibition display. Irrespective of the technique adopted,
the selection is essentially dependent on the subject matter that promotes educational or emotional
effects on the audience (Dean, 2002). The artwork displayed must also have protection to maintain
form, colour, texture and essence. In respect of this, principles guiding it must be integrated into
its planning so that all manner of works including paintings, sculpture, textile and ceramics are
protected from wear and tear (Çevik, 2016).
a) The Exhibit
An exhibit is an item on display. Artwork for an exhibition ranges from historical objects,
paintings, statues, and ceramics to other items that assist people. The displayed works often
demonstrate their aesthetic, historical, religious or entertainment values to the participants of the
exhibition. A lot of artworks must be managed well to prevent overcrowding during the exhibition.
One of the hallmarks of every successful exhibition is simplicity because this principle helps in
making judicious use of space during the exhibition. Weather conditions must be considered
during an exhibition to prevent displayed work from getting damaged. Again, it must be stressed
that artworks that dominate spaces and overshadow other works should be appropriately displayed
to check and regulate the audience’s observational skills by discovering several viewpoints from
which these objects can be watched. This can be done by conducting a preview of the exhibition
and the sharing of ideas with the other planning members of the exhibition. The exhibit should be
expertly arranged to connect well with the space available influenced by the structural design of
the building, location, lighting and mounting (Licht, 2000).
b) Operational Environment/ Space
A well-managed exhibition is somewhat contingent on the appropriateness of the location and
available suitable space. Good preparation of the space is necessary to make the audience
comfortable to appreciate the exhibition. The exhibitor must examine the ventilation system, noise
level, odour (appropriateness of scent), lighting system, viewing clarity and easy accessibility to
the exhibition location. In a school environment setting, well-spaced classrooms, dining or
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assembly halls could be used as the venue of the exhibition. Outside of the school, community
centres, national parks, conference centres, the national commission on culture centre, regional or
district cultural centres and places of such nature could serve as exhibition venues or locations.
Research has established that an average visitor expresses signs of exhaustion after observing
exhibited works for an hour or more, and the issue of viewership psychology must be properly
addressed during the planning of the exhibition. This could be addressed by providing seats at the
exhibition grounds, conciseness of oral presentations at exhibitions, good illumination of the
exhibition room and the provision of walking spaces to avoid clashing of people during
observation (Licht, 2000). All activities to be performed such as poetry, performances and other
sound works before and during the exhibition should be properly connected to ensure orderliness
and harmony with the audience. Installed exhibits or those placed above the head must be properly
fixed to prevent falling and hurting the audience.
c) Cataloguing and Visual Communication
Labelling of exhibits should be done using simple words to prevent reading difficulties (Paris,
2002). Simple graphical images which communicate general language is encouraged to be used
for easy comprehension by the audience, and posters and other prints of individual artists
indicating their sections and spaces must not be over-emphasized. Labels of items on display
should provide adequate and unambiguous information about the event (exhibition) to the visitors
but not presenting themselves as the exhibits. The story-telling style labelling would be excessively
cumbersome to read, instead, they should convey brief statements, which are easily
comprehensible. Needless use of illustration such as cartoons can easily compete for attention with
the main works and can further cause divided attention among the audience. Illustrations of such
nature should be strategically placed to welcome visitors to the exhibition. Simplistic use of words,
colour and decoration often present a dynamic piece of communication.
d) Illumination System and Colour
An additional element of the exhibition that enhances it is the illumination system and colour.
Adequate natural and artificial sources of luminosities are critical elements of good exhibition
practice. This offers brightness for the exhibits and the observers in a way that all the artefacts
become observable. Reflections that tend to obstruct the viewers irrespective of where they sit or
stand must be prevented. Various kinds of an illumination system that are well amalgamated can
whip the interest, generate inquisitiveness and lessen dullness irrespective of the fact that dim light
sometimes affects persons with short visualization and this should be addressed prudently. Instead
of this, the board to be used for the exhibition, walls, tables and exhibition stands should be coated
with light coloured paints such as white or any appropriate colour that will provide sufficient
optical outcome (Paris, 2002).

Methods
The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods of research. The researcher employed a

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descriptive survey method to gather information about the present existing condition needed in the
field of study. This method was suitable to use for the reason that the descriptive survey method
deals with qualitative and quantitative information, contribute meaning to the quality, provides
vital facts, statistics/figures and understanding about the nature of anything that is going on. Using
this method, the researcher was able to identify, describe, evaluate and analyse the evolving roles
of an art exhibition on education.
Population
The population for the study was Art Teachers and Students from Senior High Schools in the Bono
Region of Ghana. Furthermore, the target population for the study was Visual Art teachers and
students from the selected schools. The accessible population for the study were as follows:
a) One Visual Art Teacher each from the selected schools;
b) Twelve (12), thirteen (13) and sixteen (16) second-year Visual Art students from “School
A”, “School B” and “School C” respectively; and
c) Sixteen (16), fourteen (14) and ten (10) third year Visual Art students from “School A”,
“School B” and “School C” respectively.
For ethical and anonymity reasons, the selected schools were labelled as “School A”, “School
B” and “School C”.
The study, therefore, used 161 (67.9%) out of a total population of 237 Visual Arts students from
the three selected schools. Table 1 indicates the distribution of the accessible population.
Table 1: Accessible Population of Visual Art Students

Students

Schools Total
2nd Year 3rd Year

School A 24 32 56

School B 26 28 54

School C 32 19 51

Total 82 79 161

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Sampling
Two sampling methods were used for this study. The purposive sampling was used to select one
Visual Art teacher each from the three schools. The choice of purposive sampling was to guarantee
that the researcher’s sample was tied to the first objective of the study so that the researcher can
focus on individual teachers who serve as guides in the planning and organization of art exhibition
in schools based on their teaching and organisational/ planning experience of the concept of
exhibitions in schools.
On the other hand, in each of the three schools, the stratified random sampling technique was used
to select a total of 81 students constituting 50.3% of the total number of accessible population of
161 Visual Art students who were either in their second or third years from the selected Senior
High Schools. The choice of stratified/ simple random sampling was to allow each potential
student to participate in the study from the two classes of each school. More importantly, the reason
for choosing second and third-year students to participate in this study was because of their
experience in the planning, organization and participation of school exhibitions. The first-year
students were not chosen because they have not had the opportunity in planning, organizing and
participating in an exhibition at the Senior High School level. According to Annku (2006), in any
major research, the minimum sample size to use is 30%; therefore, the reason for choosing at least
50% of the accessible population as the sample size of this study is validated.
Table 2: Sample Selection

Students

Schools Selected Selected Total

2nd Year Sample 3rd Year Sample
size Size

School
24 12 32 16 28
A

School B 26 13 28 14 27

School C 32 16 19 10 26

Total 81

Source: Field Data 2019

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Instrumentation and data collection

There are numerous research instruments. However, given the data required and the nature of the
study, interviews and survey questionnaire concerning descriptive survey method was used. With
the aid of an interview guide, a formal interview was conducted with Visual Art teachers on the
subject. The interview was conducted personally by the researcher. The interview was conducted
to seek information from Visual Art teachers regarding the evolving roles of art exhibition and
their impact on art education, and about the inputs (invested resources such as time, money,
artworks, human resources, among others) that go into the planning and organization of art
exhibition in senior high schools, the outputs (activities and participants they reach), how
resourceful they are in terms of teaching and learning of exhibition in their respective schools,
whether the teaching, learning and organization of exhibition has met its intended goals/outcomes.
On the other hand, a questionnaire was administered to students and data gathered was retrieved
from students using the questionnaire. It was planned to cover an extensive variety of open-ended
and close-ended questions. Like most questionnaires, section A began with the
biodata/demographic data, for example, the respondent’s sex, age range, year of study, level of
their study. This was to reveal what groups of individuals the respondents belonged to in the
population and also to give a clear representation of the characteristics of each of the sections. The
data obtained from the two instruments (questionnaire and interview) were collated, analysed and
interpreted using SPSS version 21. The quantitative data was represented with tables and charts to
indicate frequencies and percentages. Detailed content analysis of the qualitative data was done by
making references to the findings.

Qualitative results
This section presents the results of the qualitative investigation involving interviews with teachers
in the three selected Senior High Schools. As previously pointed out, 3, 3, and 2 teachers
respectively were selected from schools A, B, and C.

Research Question One: What is the state of art exhibition practice in selected Senior High
Schools in the Bono Region of Ghana?
Research question one sought to establish the state of art exhibition practices in selected Senior
High Schools in the Bono Region of Ghana. The section also sought to establish the number of
years art teacher participants have taught in their respective schools, the assistance they give during
the planning and organization of art exhibitions, the number of times exhibitions are organized in
the schools, the essence of organizing exhibitions in the schools, the form of assistance they receive
from school leadership, and some interventions that would enhance the organization of students’
art exhibition in the schools to provide Art teacher participants’ responses to the question: “What
is the state of art exhibition practice in selected senior high schools in the Bono Region of Ghana?”

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“School A”
According to the participant, the present state of art exhibition practice in the senior high level and
specifically in his/ her school is hindered due to several factors. He explained that:
…Uncooperative attitude of school leadership resulting in irregular organization of such
events. To be precise, my school has been able to plan and organize just one exhibition in
two years, which should have been an annual event.
The participant asserted that he had been teaching art in the school for ten years, he assists his
department in exhibiting the works they produce and that his department organizes once a year.
The participant indicated that art exhibition was necessary to the students’ learning because “it
helps the students showcase their works to a wider audience thereby encouraging them to study
hard about their artefacts”.
Regarding the support his department receives from the leadership of the school concerning art
exhibition, the participant indicated that “sometimes our department receives support but it is
highly inadequate”.
He proposed the organization of inter-school art exhibition by the Ghana Education Service (GES)
to inculcate the spirit of exhibition practice among students.

“School B”
In response to this question, the teacher from this school expressed many frustrations regarding
the organisation of art exhibitions ranging from school leadership and student apathy. She
expressed the following sentiments:
“Currently, leadership perceives the planning and organization of art exhibition in the
school as an expensive venture and hence drag their feet in the release of funds. Students
also participate in the event out of compulsion and not necessarily their desire to exhibit
because they believe it is an expensive venture and they have to spend more money to
produce works. They, however, participate in the event probably due to the marks they may
earn or for fear of being punished”.
The participant stated that she has been teaching art in the school for eight years, and she does her
best to help the Visual Art department organize an exhibition to display their works, and this is
done once a year. The participant observes that one importance of organizing art exhibitions is to
give visual art students “the platform to showcase the works they produce because the works serve
as evidence of their academic progression and development”.
He stated that her department struggles to get support from the leadership of the school to plan and
organize an exhibition in his school. When asked to suggest some interventions that would promote
and enhance the planning and organization of art exhibition in the school, she advocated for some

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allocation of the school’s budget to cater for this event since it is an annual event, which helps to
promote healthy intellectual discourse and instils some form of seriousness in art students.

“School C”
Art exhibitions in this school are an infrequent event because “the school does not get enough
support from leadership, and also some art educators are not innovative to organize art
exhibitions”, the participant from this school indicated. This participant had four years of teaching
experience in this school, teaching arts. During this period that she indicated that she assists the
Visual Art department to plan and organize exhibitions in the school. According to the participant,
an art exhibition is organized once a year in the school and this enables:
“…the students to showcase their creativeness. It also aids them on how to intelligently
criticize and appreciate an artwork, and I encourage my students to write an artist
statement and attached to the works mounted for an exhibition”.
The participant observed that at the departmental level, the Head of Department (HOD) is always
in support, and during occasions such as speech and prize and anniversaries, the head of school
and other authorities assist.
The participant suggested that one of the ways of enhancing the organization of art exhibition in
the school is the encouragement of students for them to explore the use of various materials in
producing works than sticking to the old norms. Again, she indicated that:
“the inculcation of artist statement should be explored and made mandatory for each
student, since this will promote their writing skills and also help them express emotions,
ideas, concepts and materials and their effects in the words”.
Moreover, she opined that the exhibition should be organized every term to be a wake-up call for
students to develop more skills, rooms should be given to the art department to accommodate the
good artefacts of the students. The curriculum should emphasize constant exhibition and reinforce
the writing aspect, which is the artist’s statement and appreciation of artefacts.

Research Question Two: What are the emerging roles of art exhibitions in art education?
Research question two of the study sought to establish the roles of art exhibitions in art education
generally. Consequently, the Art teachers’ expressed their views on the questions.

“School A”
The participant from this school identified the following as the roles of art exhibitions in art
education:

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“The degree to which learning expectations or goals are achieved is demonstrated

through an art exhibition”.
“The appreciation of cultural diversity among students leading to harmonious living is
greatly obtained through their artefacts for exhibition”.
“The art exhibition platform serves as a source of exposure to students for positive
interaction with their audience”.
The participant appreciates the role of exhibitions in the art syllabus, how exhibitions help build
the value system of exhibitors and as a platform for networking with other artists.

“School B”
The participant acknowledged that art exhibitions play a crucial role in unearthing the rich artistic
talents of students. He observed the following:
“During exhibitions, the artistic talents of the students are depicted since exhibitions
are a mass media to showcase a particular art work.
He was also of the view that this was a platform to expose students to a horizon of new
opportunities as this could be used to network with experienced and professional artists. He
expressed this opinion in these ways:
“Moreover, their horizons are broadened as they are likely to meet very good artists
and connoisseurs of art works during the programme, and as a result they can make
valuable contacts which will be a lifelong connection”

“School C”
The participant acknowledged arts exhibitions as contributing to the value system of the exhibitors
and as a reflective tool for them. These were his comments:
“The installation of new beliefs, habits, information and knowledge in students”.
“The perception of art exhibition as the mirror to reflect the experiences of art students”.

Survey results
This section presents the analysis of the results of the survey investigation involving Visual Arts
students in the selected schools. All (100%) respondents returned validly filled questionnaire.

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Demographic Background of Respondents

The demographic outline makes available details of the population composition of the entire
population. The study also examined the participants’ characteristics by determining their gender,
age, academic qualification and experience.
a. Gender Distribution of Respondents
The study sought to determine how the sampled participants were spread by gender and to enable
cross tabularization of response in this manner. Table 3 data reveals exactly how the participants
of the study were distributed by gender.

Table 3: Description of the Respondents

Gender Frequency Percentage (%)
Male 48 59.3
Female 33 40.7
Source: Field Data 2019
The study used 81 student participants from the Visual Art departments of the three selected Senior
High Schools in the Bono Region of Ghana comprising forty-eight males (59.3%); and thirty-three
females (40.7%) as shown in table 3. The data also goes to buttress the fact that there is male
dominance in the Visual Art department perhaps because of male preference for the programme.
b. Age
The study sought to establish the age of sampled participants. Table 4 presents data on the age
of the participants.

Table 4: Age Distribution of Students

Age Interval Frequency Percentage

20 years and below 81 100

21 years and above 0 0

Total 81 100

Source: Field Data 2019

Data shown in Table 4 indicate that all the (100%) were aged 20 years and below.

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c. Educational Level of Respondents

The study sought to determine the educational levels of the sampled participants to enable cross
tabularization of response in this manner. Table 5 data reveals exactly how the participants of
the study were distributed by educational level.

Table 5: Educational Levels of Respondents

Educational Level Frequency Percentage

Second year (Form 2) 41 50.6

Third year (Form 3) 40 49.4

Total 81 100

Source: Field Data 2019

Data shown in Table 5 show that majority (50.6%) respondents were in the second year level
whereas 40 (49.4%) were in the third year.
Research Question One: What is the state of art exhibition practice in the Selected Senior High
Schools?
a) Respondents’ Elective Subject Combinations
The study sought to ascertain the elective subject combinations of the sampled respondents.
The question was meant to understand the subject profile of students reading arts education
in the selected schools. Figure 2 illustrates this information.

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Figure 2: Elective Subject Combinations

b) Creation of Practical Works for the Subject Areas

All (100%) the sampled respondents indicated that they produce practical works for their
elective subject area, which were primarily Ceramics and Graphic Design.
c) Places where Marked Works are kept
When respondents were asked of what they do with their works after their teachers had
marked them, the majority (85.2%) indicated that they exhibit them, whereas only 7.4%
responded that they either pack them at school or take them home. Figure 3 shows the
distribution of students regarding what they do with their marked works.

Figure 3: Places where Marked Works are kept

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Research Question Two: What are the emerging roles of exhibitions in art education?
In response to objective two, students identified the following as the evolving roles in art
exhibitions:
a. The Teaching of Exhibition by Art tutors in schools; and
b. The art teachers’ role in the Planning and Organization of an exhibition in schools
a) Teaching of Exhibition
The study sought to ascertain whether art teachers help in the planning and organization of art
exhibition in schools. It was established that teachers teach their students the art exhibition as a
topic. This was evident from the fact all (100%) of the sampled respondents (students) indicated
that they have been taught the topic “Exhibition” by their tutors.
b) Art Teachers’ Role in the Planning and Organization of Art Exhibition
c) In this study, all the sampled respondents declared that their art teachers play important
roles in the planning and organization of Art Exhibition in their schools. They unanimously
agreed that their art tutors help in planning and organizing exhibition you’re their class.

Discussion
Using the logic model to evaluate art exhibitions, the findings of this study identify the situation,
invested resources (inputs), outputs (activities and participants), assumptions (convictions/beliefs)
and external factors (environments within which exhibition exists) and indicates participant’s
responses to them.
a. Situation
The stage sets the foundation for the logic model progress regarding elements that necessitate the
planning and organization of an exhibition in a school setting. In this study, respondents argued
that exhibition is taught as a theory lesson in the classroom, and therefore, require its practicality
through students’ display of artefacts. Another reason given by respondents of this study indicates
that exhibitions serve as an evidence of adequate hands-on training (mastery of skills) and positive
academic progression of students.
b. Inputs
These are the invested resources and contributions that go into the planning and organization of
art exhibition in schools. In this study, the respondents indicated that time, materials, money,
technology, tools, equipment, artefacts among other things are what go into the planning and
organization of art exhibition. These inputs help in generating outputs. In this context, the inputs
section takes into consideration the invested resources and contributions by individuals that go into
the planning and organization of the exhibition within the selected senior high schools in the study
area.

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c. Outputs
These include combined activities and participants largely consisting of what exhibition offers.
Outputs are also the activities, events, products, and services that reach the target people (group,
individual, community or agencies). This study identifies some emerging roles of art exhibition as
the following:
i. The degree to which learning expectations or goals are achieved is demonstrated through
an art exhibition.
ii. The appreciation of cultural diversity among students leading to harmonious living is
greatly obtained through their artefacts for exhibition.
iii. The art exhibition platform serves as a source of exposure to students for positive
interaction with their audience.
iv. The harnessing and development of research and critical thinking mindset of students
through an art exhibition.
v. The installation of new belief, habits, information and knowledge in students through an
art exhibition.
vi. The perception of art exhibition as the mirror to reflect the experiences of art students.
In this study also, school exhibitions are planned and organized to achieve some specific outcomes.
Respondents in this indicated that art exhibitions are some of the academic activities and events
organized to allow art students to showcase their talents and demonstrate their comprehension of
what they been taught in class through practice.

d. Assumptions
They comprised the beliefs and convictions about the emerging roles of art exhibition and their
impact on art education in the study area. In this study, they discuss the way art exhibition is
planned and organized, what it hopes to achieve and how exhibitors learn and conduct themselves.
In this study, the exhibitors are the students and their works are mostly displayed at the end of the
academic year with the hope of making people reflect on their inspirations and themes that
occasion them to produce their works. In this study, respondents indicated that they are compelled
to exhibit because of the fear of receiving low marks and escape punishment. However,
respondents also argue that students exhibit because the showcasing of the artworks serve as
evidence of academic progression and their level of seriousness.
e. External Factors
They are the environments within which the art exhibitions are organized such as climates,
demographic patterns, cultural scene and educational setting. In this study, the environment in
which the art exhibition takes place is the school’s assembly hall or other spaces considered to be
very convenient for displaying students’ artworks. In this study, the evolving role of an art
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exhibition can be a multi-layered manifestation of concepts and designs that allow guests to
appreciate the artistic elements by examining interesting artworks for their values of beauty,
cultural significance, history, scientific importance, or rarity as individual objects.
Houtgraaf and Vitali (2008) observe that one of the profound evolving roles of the art exhibition
is the appreciation that art education is an idea, experience and narrative-based system that use
artwork production as a vehicle to share information and ideas between learners and instructor.
The emerging roles of art exhibition serve as a platform for experimenting and challenging
tradition that search for a new ideology that is best suitable for the prerequisites of contemporary
society. In conclusion, the emerging roles of art exhibitions are indicative of transitory and
comparatively independent outfits that signify forums for discourse and change.
Conclusion
Art Exhibitions play a vital role in motivating and harnessing the talents of artists. Therefore, this
study concludes that Art Exhibitions have evolved with the ever-changing demands of society
while challenging those very demands. The current art exhibition practice in the selected schools
is not encouraging because of insufficient institutional support for this important event. These
challenges have come as a result of the high cost involved in its planning and organization. As the
exhibition system improves with time, it is prudent to identify some new roles that have come up
to sustain it. These roles include harnessing and developing of research and critical thinking
abilities of students and the impartation of new beliefs, habits, information and knowledge in
students.

For exhibitors, the following recommendations are made:

1. Art exhibitors should be encouraged to inculcate artists’ statement during exhibitions of
their artworks to enhance their writing skills and self-reflection; expressing their
emotions, ideas, concepts and materials during the artistic process.
2. Also, exhibitors must keep and maintain art journals where they would be able to reflect
on their identity and create arts based on the identities expressed in their journals.
3. Exhibitors should be encouraged to explore the use of other non-conventional materials
in producing artworks rather than sticking to the old norms.
For educational institutions training artists, the following recommendations are made:
1. Exhibitions should be organized every school term to be a wake-up call for students to
develop more skills, and suitable office accommodation should be allocated to secure and
preserve artefacts developed for exhibitions.
2. Schools offering arts should allocate suitable spaces for the sale of artworks as a way of
generating extra income (for the school, art teachers, and students) and also reduce the large
number of artworks that tend to occupy more spaces in schools.

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For policy-makers including the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA)
of the Ministry of Education, the following recommendations are made:
1. As a matter of urgency, non-academic days such as Saturdays and Sundays must be set
aside for exhibitions since there is a time limitation for academic work to thrive due to the
tight nature of the timetable and academic calendar.
2. Inter-school art exhibition programmes should be organised annually for students of arts
in Senior High Schools to deepen students’ appreciation of the need for exhibitions of their
artworks.

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