Approx. 3.6% of Africans have access to the internet in 2007. In 2000 it was about 0.6%.

There is 930 million people living in Africa, comprising 14.2% of the world's population... and yet internet usage in Africa is so low right now that its almost non-existent.

It really makes you realize just how impoverished the whole of Africa is compared to even moderately wealthy countries in Asia or Europe, let alone compared to North America.

Wealth => Leisure Time => Art

It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out.

We don't really see a lot of African art on the internet. Indeed we don't see a lot of anything African on the internet unless its African-American, which frankly is more AMERICAN than anything else.

This is sad in many ways. Africa has been abused by other nations trying to force their religious, ideological and even capitalist beliefs on them. All in the name of progress.

The problem with progress however is that its normally a step by step approach. First you build up water systems (because without clean water you might as well forget it), followed by education, transportation, healthcare, communication systems, industry, factories, cities, etc.

A fundamental fault in the system is the first two I mentioned. Water and Education. I forget what the precise statistic was, but something like 80 to 90% of sub-Saharan Africa is still without clean water. How can a culture make any "progress" when the governments ignore basic water needs?

The issue of education is a major one. Most of the schools in Africa historically (and even today) are not state run public schools. They're religious fundamentalist schools, designed to teach children about whatever prophet or messiah sculpture they're toting about. Ever donated to a Christian charity for feeding/educating children in Africa? Thats where your money is going: Brainwashing a generation of children.

As if thats not enough those same students end up getting in religious territorial wars. Ideologies and poverty only lead to war.

And war only further complicates poverty by expanding it into famine, refugees, disease and starvation.

But what does this have to do with art?

Art imitates life. Doubtlessly there are artists in Africa who are depicting the horrors of war, poverty and AIDS... but will we ever hear about them?

Likely not. We're too busy reading the latest gossip about that hasbeen Britney Spears or the wannabe Paris Hilton. Both of which I could do without.

If just a portion of the people in America cared half as much about Africa as they do about celebrity gossip we'd be doing a heck of a lot more to expand trade with Africa, help Africa out with education reform and encourage the broad use of the ABCs (Abstinence, Birth Control, Condoms) to combat both AIDs and overpopulation.

Sure, we send troops over to Afghanistan and brag about all the young girls who can now go to school there because of what we did. But what about whats currently happening in Darfur? Why haven't we sent troops there? Why aren't we building schools in Darfur?

And believe me there isn't going to be much of a difference between the political parties in the good ol' USA. Bush broke his promises, and Clinton/Obama would probably break theirs too.

And frankly I don't think the US government COULD do anything with the problem except throw money at it and hope it goes away.

What needs to be happening in Africa is more in the private sector: Africa needs business entrepreneurs. Young people with bright ideas to come in and say "Hey, lets fix this place up, clean up the local water system, give people jobs, build some factories and provide a safe and stable living community."

Its a bit like the American Dream, something we take for granted these days. Its not enough for us anymore. Now we have to have highspeed internet, cellphones, 40" flatscreen televisions and triple story houses with an indoor pool. Oh, and lest we forget the European sportscar in the driveway with the Hummer parked next to it.

The Neo-American Dream is... unrealistic. And unsustainable without increased education within the USA. Even in America we suffer from a lack of education.

But just a portion of that idea would be enough to boost Africa out of poverty and into a burgeoning middle-class.

And its the middle-class people who make the majority of the art we see. Its the middle-class that is driving computer sales and internet growth.

Imagine for a moment if you started your own internet company in Africa? Perhaps a wireless connection system and sold wireless laptops? You would make a FORTUNE.

Take a look at the internet user statistics for Africa: [link]

The number of internet users in Africa has gone up 634% in the last 7 years and yet only covers 3.6% of the population. Imagine how much it will go up in the next 20 years as progress spreads?

How much would it cost to import computer parts to Africa and start building them yourself? Overtime you could hire workers, build a factory, start giving benefits to your workers and build a corporation that is both lucrative for you and benefits the overall economy.

MIT is already doing something similar. Check out this site:
[link]

Art Galleries are not the only place to show your artwork. Please also consider:

Restaurants
Gaming/Hobby Stores
Fabric/Furniture Stores
Banks
Dentist Offices
Lawyer Offices
Book Stores
Clothing Stores
Jewelry Stores
Schools
Libraries
Churches
Universities
Etc.

Consider for example if you were a artist living in Boston and you made artwork which frequently featured blind Lady Justice holding the scales of balance. You could, potentially, donate art pieces to both Harvard and Wellesley, to law offices, to financial institutions and an assortment of other places. Complete with frames and a bronze plaque of your name and assuming your artwork was "good enough" to be taken seriously by the time you were done you would be a local celebrity insofar as Boston is concerned. Lawyer graduating from Harvard or Wellesley would be interested in buying your art.

Historically artists have always had a 2nd job such as a printmaker or as a craftsman before their career takes off. [link]

Building a reputation is one of the hardest things an artist can do these days. You have to stand out and work hard at promoting yourself constantly. You can't just wait to be "discovered" because it doesn't work that way in the art world (it may work in show business or the porn industry, but not in visual arts).

To build a reputation you need your artwork to be out there, and more importantly people have to be WRITING about it. People going "Hey dude, I like your art." is not going to make you a professional artists. Hobos on the street drawing with chalk get comments like that. To build a professional reputation you need people talking about your artwork in newspapers, in art journals, and in highschool and college essays. Eventually your artwork might even appear in movies or documentaries.

Two of my proudest moments was when my artwork was shown in an art documentary about Cindy Sherman, and also a separate documentary about censorship in the United States. I've also been talked about in several art magazines, and as a result I now sell my works for thousands.

But my advice to other artists out there is this: Don't wait for fame to come to you. You have to grab it by the balls and not let go. Get your artwork out there because if you never show it anywhere no one will ever talk about it.

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat

Many years ago when I was in university studying painting and sculpture I noticed something... there was computer design studios for graphic design, but they were focused on designing logos/layouts/etc for commercial use. There was no "digital art" class.

And this wasn't just any university. This was the best university in the country for studying art... but apparently not digital art.

Perhaps it was because the faculty/administration thought there was no point in teaching digital art for gallery use. Their perspective seemed to be that any art made on a computer was only good for advertising.

So its good enough for advertising and selling stuff, but not good enough to be shown in art galleries?

Of course, to show digital art you would first have to print it out (preferably on glossy paper) or find some other way of showing it (flat screen TVs or digital projectors).

I think part of it is the issue of the temporary quality of digital art. We can't reach out and touch it and so its "not really real". We can touch a painting. We can touch a photograph. But we can't touch a digital representation on the computer screen, its home turf.

Even though technically there is very little difference between how a photo feels and a digital piece feels after they've been printed. Its the ORIGIN of the work that confuses many a modern person.

Its almost ALIEN.

Some of us embrace that alien quality and live to experience and interact with digital art. Others can't comprehend it in the same way they can't comprehend the purpose of a Jackson Pollock.

It may take another 20 years before digital art becomes accepted by society, by which time digital projectors/flatscreens should be pretty cheap (I hope). In my mind societal acceptance will probably go hand in hand with technological advances.

I'm still theorizing about holographic art in the future... for more details visit this website: [link]