According to William Arthur Ward, He said: “The mediocre teacher
tells. The good teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires”.
Tender Arts is a creative enterprise directed by Adewale
Olakunle Joel; a graduate Painting and General Arts Auchi Poly and of the
Department of Fine and Applied Arts Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is a writer, an art analyst/scholar and
art educator, whose teaching of creative arts has spanned a decade. Tender Arts
Nigeria is also a group of young, vibrant and visionary professional Nigerian
artists whose mission is to raise the standard of art by providing a platform
for grooming young artists at the grassroots.
Tender Arts Nigeria is registered with Corporate Affairs
Commission CAC/BN/2279861 in Abuja in 11th of November 2013. Tender Arts seeks
to discover and develop creative abilities in children and young adults. This
will come in form of art tutorial, art workshops, art education, art tour, art
advocacy, Charity art exhibitions and competitions among many others. Tender
Arts Nigeria also partners with NGOs,
governmental agencies or any other humanitarian organization that share the
same values, vision and objectives , in other to help add value to their
community projects initiatives using creative arts as a veritable platform.
Furthermore, it promotes children/Adolescents art works using the media and
other business networks as a veritable tool. Kunle Adewale is currently an art
educator in Queensland Academy while he still pursues the objectives of Tender
Arts Nigeria where He is the CEO and also the creative director.
In every child is locked a creative genius awaiting an open
door for expression. I believe creativity rules the world and this creativity
begins with a child’s art. Picasso wrote "Every child is an artist; the
problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."
Some of my art protégées and pupils age range between 6 and
18. The children and the young adults work in mixed media, painting, collage
print making while their themes borders on Child Abuse, Beauty, education,
health, nature, womanhood, feminine, peace, entertainment among many others.
Kunle Adewale engages in Specialized Therapeutic Art
Workshop For Children with Challenges, Charity Art Exhibition (Fund raising art
exhibition), Mobile Art School, Art advocacy, Art Education in schools, Art
Tour, Art Marketing and Promo, Art Competitions for children, teenagers and
youths.
• Kunle
Adewale and his art protégées were invited to the Voice of Nigeria (VON) early
2013 to speak on art platform which was done by the children who presented their
artworks and spoke on artistic development through the mentoring art class by
Kunle Adewale and the impacts it has made in their lives.
• Kunle
Adewale and one of his esteemed art protégées and pupil Ayomikun Omoyiola, a 10
year old pupil of Queensland Academi Okota were invited last year July by the
federal government of Nigeria to receive a Peace Award through an art work done
by one of our art pupil, while at the Nigeria Centenary Celebration grand
finale of the Nigeria Centenary in Abuja, Kunle’s Art Ayomikun Omoyiola did a
painting and gave to the President of Nigeria. She is currently Nigeria’s
Youngest Peace Ambassador because she used her art work to advocate for peace
and unity in Nigeria. This feat was a product of commitment and dedication and
sacrifice of her art Teacher, Olakunle Adewale.
•
Olakunle has organized art workshops in conjunction with Sickle Cell Foundation, Nigeria at Luth Idi-Araba, Lagos tagged ‘ARTIVITIES’ this creative initiative was endorsed by the art institutions like SNA, Society of Nigeria Artists, Kunle Adeyemi studios and ARA studio respectively. About 155 art works were produced during this exercise. The event which lasted for a month, mostly Saturdays between the hours of 8am to 3pmThe event was graced by the founder of Sickle Cell Foundation Professor Adeyanju, and top Nigerian Artists like Prof. Bruce Onabrakpeya, MsNidi Dike, Dr. Kunle Filani and Dr. Kunle Adeyemi. He and his volunteer art teachers also did art workshop for the Special Correctional Centre for Girls. Approved by Lagos State Ministry of Youths, Sports and Social Development. Over 150 works were produced by the girls at the centre. He also embarked on a Therapuetic Art Project for children Children Living with Cancer Foundation, Lagos. A Therapeutic Art workshop with the theme: Art Without Limits. He also spear head the team that groomed art participants in the ongoing ‘God’s Children got talent’ A Talent hunt initiative which was started by RCCG City of David four years ago, now in its season 4 with large number of contestants. Kunle and his team were able to groom the contestant to the finals which will took place at Eko Hotel and Suites 29th May 2014. The art pupil Nelly Erubasa, a 6 year old girl who was groomed by Kunle and his team won the competition at the junior category and cart N500,000:00 home
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Kunle Adewale organized a painting/poetry competition amongst international schools in conjunction with Good Character Initiative of Nigeria, chair by Dr. Christopher Kolade OON and directed by Chief Social Architect Prince Nnadozie Ochi. The event which was endorsed by Lagos State Ministry of Education, Committee of Relevant Arts(CORA), Advocacy for Human right through arts, Terrakulture, Nike Art Foundation, Quintessence Art Gallery, Bruce Onabrakpeya Foundation, ARA Studios, and Kunle Adeyemi studios. About 31 private/international/government schools participated and over 400 Nigerian pupils/student were in attendance at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre, March 29th 2014. More so the event was graced by Top Nigerian Poets/artists like Taiwo Ajayi Lycett, Tade Ipadeola, JumokeVerissimo, RopoEwenla, Chiagozie Fred Nwonwu, DamilolaAjayi,IquoDainaAbasi, Dr. Kunle Filani, Dr. Kunle Adeyemi, Associate Prof. Peju Layiwola, Jelili Atiku, Aderonke Akinyele, and Chief N.O Adebowale.
Some of my art protegees and pupils have participated in local and international exhibitions and competitions and have won awards.
'This is an account of Kunle's ugly duckling
Metamorphosis from the slum dwellers of Mushin
Nigeria to become an inspirational Art Teacher who is
Impacting young lives all over Nigeria by changing one life
at a time. The youngest Peace Ambassador in Nigeria is a
product of Kunle's dedication and passion for making
Nigerian youths responsible citizens by employing their
full potentials. Kunle's story has proved that success is
not
deserved, but desired'.
Mrs Oluwakemi Ajayi
Lawyer Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Over the last couple of months, I have admired Olakunle
Adewale's paintings, some of which he shares on social
media. Beyond their aesthetic beauty, I have been mostly
impressed by the level of reasoning that goes into
producing them and the deep meanings they hold. I am
aware that hundreds of Adewale's followers on social
media have been immensely blessed by his artistic
brilliance. Being a writer myself, I am doubly impressed to
see that the artist has a literary side to him; and just
like his
paintings, he has chosen to inspire and motivate his
audience to be the best that they can be; to rise above
their limitations and realize their God-given purpose and
potentials regardless of the seemingly insurmountable
challenges life sometimes throws at us. Reading through his
new book ,Why Sit we here till we die?...a tale of four
lepers. I am glad to see that Adewale, who has done
remarkably well as an art teacher, impacting and inspiring
his pupils to produce amazing works of art, is yielding
himself to a divine calling to touch and bless even more
lives through the written word. Though written from a
Christian’s perspective, this small publication draws
inspiration from the word of God and some of the world's
most venerated personalities—from Steve Jobs to Nelson
Mandela—some of who do not profess the Christian faith
but who have affected humanity in very wonderful ways. In
essence, approach this book with an open mind: whoever
you are, whatever you do and whichever religion you align
with, you will be the better for reading this book--just as
I
have been.
Pelu Awofeso
Travel Journalist/ Author.
Winner, CNN/Multichoice African Journalist Awards (Tourism)
Dear Mr Adewale,
Once again, I am
overwhelmed with the arts collections created by your pupils and my favourite
young artist Ayomikun!
Your creativity as shared in the hearts of these young ones
is reviving a new generations of Nigerians and Aficans alike to not only be appraisals
of great arts but creators as well.
Although, you can only see the sparks of the skills you are
developing in these ones, the great fire it will become would be there for all
the world to see after we have passed on.
I truly believe with
your dedications, Nigeria and Africa as a whole will be dominating the arts
world very soon and the world will have no basis to deny the arts geniuses
Africa will produce.
I am still looking forward to the time my children would
take part in your workshops when next we are in Nigeria.
Keep up the good works.
My warmest regards,
Mrs Oluwakemi M.
Ajayi
Solicitor of England
and Wales.
Sirs,
I am pleased to recommend Tender Arts Nigeria youth
workshops, under the direction of Mr. Adewale Olakunle Joel. Adewale has displayed an incredible amount of
vision and dedication in forming art workshops that not only provide children
with a creative outlet, but seeks to develop skills that can produce lifelong
success.
The Arts Education Partnership is a coalition of more than
100 USA educational, artistic, philanthropic, and government organizations that
took two years to produce studies that suggest arts education may be especially
helpful to poor students and those in need of remedial instruction. The findings show that visual arts improve
content and organization of writing; promote sophisticated reading skills and
interpretation of text, and develop reasoning skills about scientific images
and reading readiness. Additionally, the arts reinforce math skills and improve
higher-order thinking skills.1
As an educator, it is not difficult to see how the Tender
Arts Nigeria programs support the importance of art in schools and will benefit
the lives of growing adolescents. I
offer my full encouragement and support of Adewale through Tender Arts Nigeria,
and the students the program seeks to serve.
Sincerely,
Dionne Taylor
Educator, Harmony Charter Schools
Texas, USA
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