This paper exposes, through qualitative inquiry, the effects of blended learning on training and acquisition of hard and soft skills among Visual Arts students at Mampong Technical College of Education. Two weeks of unobtrusive observation of blended learning lessons were done. Three focus group interviews involving 15 level 300 Visual Arts students to assess the level of impact blended learning exerts on their training and skill acquisition. Findings reveal that the WhatsApp platform was the most used for the online component of the blended learning whereas traditional face-to-to lessons were coupled with OERs and YouTube videos. Students’ enthusiasm for personal learning through exploration using OERs has increased and able to produce end of semester group Visual Art project works despite the challenges due to the blended and learner-centred pedagogies implemented deployed by their tutors.  There is a need for further studies to investigate the pedagogic competencies of the MTCE student-teachers in their teaching practices to ascertain their level of skills acquired through the blended learning since their success would impact the national agenda of raising critical and creative thinkers through the standard-based curriculum.

In Ghana, Kente or Kete weaving is known to be done predominantly in areas of Bonwire, Ashanti Region and Agotime, Volta Region however the art is gradually gaining prominence in other communities in the Volta Region. This paper investigates and documents Kete weaving as a developing culture within the Akatsi District in the Volta Region of Ghana through a qualitative inquiry. The study focused on the history, production and marketing of the art using narrative and descriptive designs and thematic analysis approaches. Using the purposive sampling method, a total of 20 respondents constituting elders, weavers and cloth sellers participated in the study. The study found that the origin of Kete weaving has no roots in the Akatsi District however the art is fast growing as an occupation among the male youth in the district whereas the females, both young and old en.gage in trading the woven fabric and its accessories. Sadly, the future of this occupation is blurred as the ingenious weavers are faced with challenges including a lack of capital and infrastructure to industrialise their craft. Through the findings, this paper establishes that the art of Kete weaving in the Akatsi District is a fertile industry that when expanded and sustained can help create more jobs, thus reducing the poverty rate and improving the standard of living. The Commission for Technical and Vocational Educational Training (CTVET) needs to provide the weavers with additional training on creativity for a wider market target. It is recommended that the Government of Ghana through the Akatsi District Assembly provide infrastructure and financial support for the weavers. Private investors within the fashion industry are entreated to extend their business acumen towards the weavers for expansion.

This paper attempts to conceptualize the stylistic body movements in contemporary Ghanaian dances through the aesthetic lenses of performance art. The expressiveness of performance art forms is frequently praised for the emotions we have toward them. These feelings are derived from the symbolic connotations and functionalities of the arts in life. Through an exploratory design of qualitative inquiry, the researchers focus on a contextual dialogue on the aesthetic visual presentations of selected contemporary Ghanaian dances as performance art forms. The critical content analysis of music videos was espoused to examine the stylistic body movements and gestures coded in some contemporary Ghanaian dances such as Azonto, Twerking, Kupe, Pilolo and Shoo as part of an empirical artistic study. Instruments for data collection were observation, document analysis and photography for the contextual visual content analyses grounded in semiotic and aesthetic theoretical discourse. This study again relied heavily on secondary data from recorded communication including music videos, books, transcripts, websites, newspaper articles, journal articles and the like to make objective inferences. The findings indicate that dance is the communication that occurs via the conduit of the dancer's body that ruptures individuals' independent existence and generates a sense of finitude. Whereas some of the dances make aggressively erotic visual statements, others are mere expressive gestural and body movements to simply entertain a targeted audience. The result further shows that, the contemporary Ghanaian dance performances transcend beyond mere entertainment but rather are an embodiment of body language emerging from the indigenous dance symbolisms. Teaching learners to perceive visual aesthetic qualities and symbolic interpretations in dance performances will deepen the appreciation of Ghanaian dance performances not just as entertainment but as another medium for expression to transmit their inherent messages.  It is suggested that, these dance forms should be formalized as indigenous knowledge in a quest to blend tradition with modernity in our creative endeavours. This knowledge should be propagated through creative arts education in Ghanaian schools. Other performance art components displayed in contemporary Ghanaian dances including body painting, facial expressions, costumology and fashion accessories present another lacuna for further research by future researchers. Key words: aesthetics, dance, therapy, performance art, body, movement

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