Tour Group in Cape Coast, Ghana

Ghana International Design School Project
Professor Charles Joyner

The Ghana International Design Studio began in 1997 out of linkage agreements between NC State University (NCSU) and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). It was directed by Art+Design Professor Charles Joyner with support from colleagues over the years in graphic design, industrial design, and landscape architecture. Since 1997, over 100 participating faculty and students have immersed themselves in a different cultural context than their own. The goals of the studio were to connect people to the rich cultural traditions of Ghana through direct interaction with artists and makers in Ghana.

This meant travel by participants to all 10 of Ghana’s regions and on-site workshops with artists in each region. Participants were taught to use sketching and journaling as a means to not only capture the aesthetics, but also the process of metal work, wood carving, ceramics and of course textiles.

In addition to enabling Americans to experience Ghana, the program sponsored several Ghanaian artists and scholars to pursue advanced studies at NCSU. The culmination of the studios prior to 2011 was a US based gallery show featuring original work produced by American faculty and students inspired by their immersion in Ghana. However, beginning in 2011, the studio shifted to service-learning projects that partnered with Ghanaian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organizations. Women in Progress and their brand Global Mama’s uses small business training and cottage Batik industries to elevate Ghanaian women out of poverty. They worked with the studio to develop a pattern book derived from the experiences of Ghana’s 10 regions to expand their inspiration for new fashion design, specifically for children. The studio also worked on concepts for a larger facility to allow for increased production while retaining the experience of Ghana’s cottage industries and traditions. The year 2014 marked the final studio and it featured a course collaboration with Dr. Kwesi Brookins , NCSU Professor of Africana Studies. The joint course focused on a partnership with the Mmofra Foundation, a Ghanaian group interested in children’s outdoor learning environments in Ghana’s fast growing cities. The studio immersed themselves in traditional and contemporary outdoor learning environments across the country. The studio then worked with Mmofra Foundation to build and test prototypes of educational lay experiences rooted in Ghanaian traditional experiences. The resultant document, Playtime in Africa, continues to serve as inspiration for Mmofra activities in Accra.

Publications: Boone, K. (2016) Transferred, Translated, Transformed: Design tools for student engagement in Ghana, West Africa,Globally Engaged Pedagogy, Research, and Creative Practice, PUBLIC Vol.3 No. 2 accessed via web: http://public.imaginingamerica.org/blog/article/transferred-translated-transformed-design-tools-for-student-engagement-in-ghana-west-africa/

Ghana International Design Studio (2014) Playtime in Africa: Student Report Final (2014), NC State Department of Landscape Architecture, accessed via ISSUU: Playtime in africa student report final
Massey, I.J. (2002) “Towards Sustainable Conservation Planning & Landscape Design in Cape Coast, Ghana”
Masters Final Thesis-NC State Department of Landscape Architecture