Selected Original Artwork of Nana Ekow Maison on Displays at Bracken Library

Students, faculty and staff who visit Ball State University’s Bracken Library are encouraged to view the artwork of Nana Ekow Maison that is on exhibit on 1-West in Bracken’s Reference Learning Center. The artwork will be at Bracken Library through fall semester 2007.

Artist Ekow Maison was born in Ghana and received his bachelor’s degree in Kumasi, Ghana, West Africa, concentrating in painting and drawing. He earned a Master of Fine Art at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Maison’s extensive résumé reflects his experience in solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and his involvement in lectures at various campuses across Illinois and Massachusetts. He has taught at Bradley University, the Peoria Art Guild, and at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, West Africa.

Maison uses the technique of pointillism, which is the practice of placing small dots on canvas so they appear to form a larger image from a distance. He also utilizes symbolism in his art, incorporating both traditional Ghanaian symbols and icons that hold specific significance to him.

“True to my African nature, I do not feel a need to indulge my art for the sake of sensationalism,” he said. “In my creative process, I try to be more innovative, intuitive and spontaneous than technical. However, no sign is arbitrary, no color is applied by chance, and no image is fanciful. They are all real forms of a certain reality. The traditional art forms I use are no exception.”

His current body of work is multi-layered with various principal shapes, particularly spidery silhouetted human figures interacting with symbols, all anchored within a neatly defined pictorial space expressed with the weaving of color in an obsessive urge similar to pointillism.

Maison resides in Muncie with his wife, Barbara, and their 19-month old son, Nyamedze. Barbara is working on a master’s degree in public relations at Ball State. Visit http://www.nanaekow.com/ for more information about artist Nana Ekow Maison.

For more information, contact Susan G. Akers, Ball State University Libraries’ Marketing Communications Manager, SAkers@bsu.edu, (765) 285-5031.