Mantey Jectey-Nyarko (B.A, Art, MFA Sculpture, Ph.D Art Education)

Dr. Mantey Jectey-Nyarko is currently a lecturer at the Department of Painting and sculpture, Faculty of Art, in the College  of Art and Built Environment, KNUST-Kumasi. He is also the CEO of the Ancestralgift Foundation, an African Heritage and Renewal Centre. Dr. Jectey-Nyarko is also the Director in charge of the conservation of Cultural Heritage as well Assessment of Project Designs for the Rural African Development Foundation (RADeF), a non-profit organisation based in Ghana. He holds a BA (Hons) in Art, MFA in sculpture and a Ph.D in Art Education all from KNUST kumasi. His areas of specialisations are studio Art (Painting and sculpture) and Art Education. He also has a great interest in child education, particularly pre-school and early basic.

Among the position held and contributions to affiliated bodies are:

Immediate past National president of the Ghana Art Teachers Association. (GATA) from 2012 to 2016.

Chief Adjudicator for the Vocations, (Visual Arts) on the National festivals of Art in Ghana at the pre-tertiary level.

International Coordinator for the Annual Nka Foundation Artist Residency/Workshop, a forum where critical connections are drawn within the Arts, Architecture and cultural believes and practices.

Expert reviewer for  the Standard Based Pre-Tertiary Curriculum (Creative arts for KG1-B6) in Ghana.  

Panel member for the drafting of Creative Arts training manual for the New Pre-Tertiary Curriculum (Creative arts for KG1-B6).

Member of the international jury for the Kaira Looro Architecture Competition for the Emergency Operations Centre: 2020.

 KNUST’s representative on the Ministry of Education Taskforce for the establishment of  Creative Arts Senior High Schools in Ghana.

Director for Research and Training, Ghana National council of Private schools (GNACOPS).   

Aside the mainstream lecturing and activities in human development, Dr. Jectey-Nyarko has a strong desire in the promotion of the Ghanaian Cultural Identity. He is of the view that knowing who you are is the basic ingredient for holistic socio-cultural development. 

His research interests in the promotion of human development touches on

• Creative art as the basis in the holistic development of the child
• Practical Dimensions in the Teaching and Learning of Art in the pre-tertiary institutions
• Fusing contemporary idioms in preserving the Indigenous African Concept of Artistic Expression in an ever changing socio-cultural environment .

Among his research projects embarked on are:

• Adinkra Symbols as a medium for signage and scripting of indigenous Ghanaian philosophies in a contemporary society.
• “Mask our real identity” An exploration into surface textures and colours, using the concept of masks as a medium of expression.
• Collaboration with Street Artists and hawkers to develop ways of giving the common person in the society the chance to tell their story artistically in their own voice.

Having taught for over 26 years at almost every level of education, Dr, Mantey is researching into how social constructivism in the light of indigenous believes and practices can be used to achieve effective and efficient education for the youth of Ghana.

Dr. Jectey-Nyarko is a great lover of nature and the Arts eg Music, Drama and poetry. He plays the piano and guitar. He is also into acting (Stage and Movie) and creative writing. He has a number of drama and poems to his credit.