REDEFINING PROFESSIONALISM IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA VISUAL ARTS: A STUDY OF TEXTILE STUDIO PRACTICE

Abstract

Professionalism in textile studio art practice implies the set of skills and values that characterize the essence of humanism in the production of a fabric piece of art. It is known that textiles play a very important role in the economic development and transition of any culture in the world. Unfortunately, due to lack of experience of some textile art practitioners in Nigeria, they garner little reward for their artworks and remain solitary individuals, powerless to influence the working of the art world. This is because they have no formal accreditation system to initiate professional standard in their field. This study conducted as a case study with qualitative research model consisted of six textile art learners as participants. Data were obtained using interview forms, observations, literatures and online sources. The paper anchors on functionalist theory and adopts SWOT analysis to highlight on how professionalism in visual art can promote cultural and economic development in Nigeria. It was observed that professionalism contributed to the knowledge and skills of prospective textile art practitioners in terms of application of materials and methods. It concludes that professionalism is indispensable for visual arts practices. Suggestion for occasional professional knowledge lessons to be conducted were made.