Lagos — Through the presentation of papers, exchange of views and ideas, Nigerian Artists are presently forming synergy that can bring about artistic development and turn artists to entrepreneurs.

At an artists convention/workshop organized by the Auchi Polytechnic School of Art and Design, Artists were charged to unite now that "there is more harmonized synergy in the arts word", said Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya, a foremost artist at a pre-convention chat in the Dean, School of Art and Design's office. Held between Monday, September 17 and Friday, September 21 at a conference room in the School of Art & Design, Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, with the theme"Entrepreneurship in Art", speakers, discussants, moderators and facilitators ondifferent fields of arts all agreed with Onobrakpeya that "Art isnow expanding as a profession and there is more synergy between artists". Onobrakpeya said "up to America, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom and many more foreignnations, Nigerian Artists are really making waves in the art word; also in Nigeria,artistic sites give jobs to various people and in same manner, bring in people from overseas to Nigeria, contributing to the economy of the people and Nigeria at large.

Establishing this theory as a fact, Prof. Ademola Williams from the University of Benin stressed that "atOshogbo, a leading GSM services provider spent N35 million empowering the people and helping to growtheir businesses. So, arts also enables money to be spread around; not onlyin few hands, but all round for the people existing in an artistic environment. I feelt UNIBEN should take a cue from Auchi Polytechnic to also organize this kind of gathering that will bring artist together" he said.

Also, during the pre-workshop, a leather art specialist simply identified as Obi in his owncontributions declared that "leather works with many innovations is now on another level entirely as I have been coming up with different innovative productions of the leather works. With leather work, I produced my complimentary cards; while I produce for others with their own handwriting and if they think it is not beautiful, I explain that makes it more artistic".Obi who further narrated two experiences on his visit to the US, saying how his American hosts appreciated his artistic innovations in leather works, made into bags, bow ties and seats.

Ace photographer, Prince Nathaniel Odioyogbo Momoh declared that "photography as an offshoot of the art is way of presenting a situation the way it is". Momoh described himself as the personal photographer to the Central Bank Governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo and concluded by saying that "the technological innovation and the advancement of photography in the art world is indeed a gain to us in this part of theworld and we must really use that opportunity to better our lot".

Dean of the School of Art and Design, Ms. Helen Uhunwagho who was visibly excited at the coming together of all the participants and journalists said "this third edition of the workshop promises to be explosive, interesting and will advance arts in all spheres".

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Office of Pat Kairos Consult, organizers of the Nigeria Undergraduates' Exhibition of Arts (NUXART), Patrick Ifechukwude Okpah said the 2007 edition of the event holds between October 16 to 22 at the National Gallery of Arts, Lagos where 80 higher institutions that offer art as a course of study have been invited.