The Curator, National Gallery of Arts, Enugu, Mrs Patricia Nkwocha has called on the Federal Government and Nigerians to focus on Arts as a means of diversifying the economy.
Nkwocha made the call at the maiden edition of Art Exhibition and Jazz Night in Enugu on Sunday.
The exhibition was organised by Fusion Ijay Creations Nigeria Ltd.
She said that art work would attract huge foreign exchange to the country if given the needed attention.
“We all depend on oil forgetting that oil will dry up someday while arts remains because; it is inborn.
“It keeps improving and gets better each day and art works are sold for millions of Naira across the globe,’’ she said.
According to her, events like this bring artistes together to show their works and learn from one another.
The curator also called on Nigerians to encourage artistes to do more for the development and progress of the nation.
A renowned artist and aesthetic designer, Bona Ezeudu, emphasised the need for people to encourage artistes as art encompassed a lot of things other than sculptures and paintings.
“Art embraces a lot of things like poetry, music, spoken words, fashion and interior decorations. The list goes on and on.
“An artiste knows a lot of things because it’s all about creativity and should not be neglected,’’ Ezeudu, who is the owner of Bona Gallery, Enugu, said.
He urged young artistes “not to be money conscious” but should rather improve on their works consistently to help widen their horizon and increase their opportunities.
The General Manager of Fusion Ijay Creations Nigeria Ltd., Mrs Ijeoma Eze, said that she put up the event for her love for arts; adding: “It is high time artistes are given the needed support’’.
“I can’t sing, dance or draw but I am an event planner who loves everything about arts.
“This is my own way of supporting artistes because I plan on doing this annually and I am also calling on others to do the same for the growth of the nation,’’ she said.