Amoako Boafo is a really famous artist from Ghana. He’s back in his home country now, where one of his self-portraits is being shown in an exhibition. Even though he’s super successful, Boafo doesn’t really like doing interviews. He didn’t plan on becoming an artist at first, he just started drawing for fun with his friends. When he was growing up, he didn’t know that artists of color could do portraits. It’s been overwhelming for him to get so much recognition and praise from big art galleries like Larry Gagosian.

Boafo’s story is like a fairy tale. He started out in Accra with not much, but now he’s a really famous artist whose paintings sell for millions of dollars. He mostly paints black people and he uses his fingers to paint a lot of the time. He even got to put his art on Jeff Bezos’s rocket ship. Boafo is part of a group of really talented artists from West Africa who support and appreciate each other.

Boafo was born in 1984 and he taught himself how to paint while his mom was at work. At first, he was pretty good at tennis and played semi-professionally to make money. But then someone offered to pay for his art school and that’s when things started to change for him. His big break came when another famous artist named Kehinde Wiley saw his paintings on Instagram. Wiley is known for painting a portrait of former US President Barack Obama. Wiley’s support inspired Boafo to make friends with other artists and share his experiences with them.

I got to meet Boafo at his studio in Accra. It’s in a really cool building designed by architect Sir David Adjaye. Boafo’s paintings used to sell for £100 in Ghana, but now they’re shown all over the world and people pay a lot of money for them. Museums and collectors have realized that they don’t have enough art by black artists, so they want Boafo’s work. Even though he’s successful, Boafo is thankful for the chance to help people in his community through his residency program.

Boafo gave a self-portrait to an exhibition called “In and Out of Time” at Gallery 1957 in Accra. He painted it with his fingers and it shows him from the back with his arms up. Boafo likes painting more than talking about his art, and he doesn’t find things outside of the studio very exciting, except for playing tennis. People like his art because it shows how traditional portraits and social media can go together.

Original news source: Amoako Boafo – the Ghanaian artist who has exhibited in space (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Students will work individually to summarize the article in their own words, focusing on the main points. They should aim to keep the summary under 100 words. Once completed, they can share their summaries with a partner and discuss the key elements of Boafo’s life and career.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Place a line of tape on the floor and label one end ‘Strongly Agree’ and the other ‘Strongly Disagree’. Read out statements related to the article, such as “Artists should use traditional methods rather than innovative ones like finger painting” or “Social media is an important tool for artists.” Students place themselves along the line according to their opinion, and then discuss their reasoning with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Extract challenging words from the article (e.g., exhibition, overwhelming, semi-professionally, residency). Write each word on individual slips of paper. Divide the class into two teams. Students take turns drawing the word they pick for their teammates to guess, without speaking or writing letters or numbers. Set a time limit for each turn. This will help reinforce new vocabulary from the article in a fun and interactive way.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss and write down predictions about Amoako Boafo’s future based on information from the article. They might predict the next countries where his art will be exhibited, future collaborations, or the impact of his residency program. After sharing with the class, they can also discuss the potential future of art and representation.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Students are paired and each pair is given a sheet of paper. One student reads a portion of the article aloud while the other sketches what they hear. For example, one might sketch Boafo painting with his fingers, or the scene of his studio in Accra. Afterward, they switch roles. This activity helps students practice listening comprehension and visual interpretation of English descriptions.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What country is Amoako Boafo originally from?
2. How did Boafo begin his journey into art?
3. What unique method does Boafo often use in his paintings?
4. Who helped Boafo get noticed in the art world, and how did they discover his work?
5. Where is Boafo’s studio located and who designed the building?
6. How have the prices of Boafo’s paintings changed since he started his career?
7. What is the title of the exhibition in Accra where Boafo’s self-portrait is displayed?
8. Besides painting, what other activity does Boafo enjoy?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Amoako (1)______ is a really famous artist from (2)______. He’s back in his home country now, where one of his self-portraits is being shown in an exhibition. Even though he’s super successful, Boafo doesn’t really like doing (3)______. He didn’t plan on becoming an artist at first, he just started drawing for fun with his friends. When he was growing up, he didn’t know that artists of color could do portraits. It’s been overwhelming for him to get so much recognition and praise from big art galleries like Larry (4)______.

Boafo’s story is like a fairy tale. He started out in Accra with not much, but now he’s a really famous (5)______ whose paintings sell for millions of dollars. He mostly paints (6)______ people and he uses his fingers to paint a lot of the time. He even got to put his art on Jeff Bezos’s rocket ship. Boafo is part of a (7)______ of really talented (8)______ from West Africa who support and appreciate each other.

Boafo was born in 1984 and he taught himself how to paint while his mom was at work. At first, he was pretty good at tennis and played semi-professionally to make money. But then someone offered to pay for his art school and that’s when things started to change for him. His big break came when another famous artist named Kehinde Wiley saw his paintings on Instagram. Wiley is known for painting a (9)______ of former US President Barack (10)______. Wiley’s support inspired Boafo to make friends with other artists and share his experiences with them.

I got to meet Boafo at his (11)______ in Accra. It’s in a really cool building designed by architect Sir David (12)______. Boafo’s paintings used to sell for £100 in Ghana, but now they’re shown all over the world and people pay a lot of money for them. Museums and collectors have realized that they don’t have enough art by black artists, so they want Boafo’s work. Even though he’s successful, Boafo is thankful for the chance to help people in his community through his residency (13)______.

Boafo gave a self-portrait to an exhibition called “In and Out of Time” at Gallery 1957 in (14)______. He painted it with his fingers and it shows him from the back with his arms up. Boafo likes (15)______ more than talking about his art, and he doesn’t find things outside of the studio very exciting, except for playing tennis. People like his art because it shows how traditional portraits and social (16)______ can go together.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is your dream job and how would you feel if you suddenly became very successful in it?
2. Do you think it’s important for communities to support local artists? Why or why not?
3. Have you ever discovered a talent you didn’t know you had, like Boafo did with painting?
4. How would you feel if something you created for fun became really popular and valuable?
5. Do you like the idea of using social media to share your talents, as Boafo did with his paintings?
6. What is something you enjoy doing just for fun, like Boafo enjoyed playing tennis?
7. Do you think artists should focus on creating art or also on giving interviews and being in the spotlight?
8. How would you feel if your artwork was chosen to go on a rocket ship, like Boafo’s was on Jeff Bezos’s?
9. Do you think it’s important for museums to have art from people of different backgrounds? Why?
10. What is a way you could help your community if you became successful like Boafo?
11. Have you ever been inspired by someone else’s success to try something new or pursue a passion?
12. Do you think it’s important to have friends who share similar interests, like Boafo did with other artists?
13. How would you feel if your work helped change people’s perceptions, like Boafo’s portraits have done for black artists?
14. Do you like the idea of painting with your fingers, or do you prefer using traditional tools?
15. What do you think about the idea of self-taught artists compared to those who go to art school?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. artist
2. self-portraits
3. exhibition
4. successful
5. overwhelming
6. recognition
7. paintings
8. studio

Meanings:
(a) Being appreciated and praised for your work
(b) Beautiful pictures that an artist creates with paint
(c) A public display of artwork for people to see
(d) Pictures that an artist makes of themselves
(e) Someone who creates beautiful and meaningful artwork
(f) A special place where an artist works on their art
(g) Feeling like there is too much happening and it’s hard to handle
(h) Achieving what you want and being well-known for it
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where is Amoako Boafo from?
(a) Nigeria
(b) Ghana
(c) Kenya
(d) South Africa

2. How did Boafo start his career as an artist?
(a) By drawing for fun with his friends
(b) By attending art school
(c) By getting discovered on social media
(d) By working in a gallery

3. What kind of paintings does Boafo mostly create?
(a) Landscapes
(b) Abstract art
(c) Still life
(d) Portraits of black people

4. How does Boafo paint his artwork?
(a) With his fingers
(b) With a paintbrush
(c) With a spray can
(d) With a palette knife

5. Who is the famous artist that discovered Boafo’s work on Instagram?
(a) Jeff Bezos
(b) Barack Obama
(c) Kehinde Wiley
(d) Larry Gagosian

6. Where is Boafo’s studio located?
(a) London
(b) New York
(c) Paris
(d) Accra

7. Why are museums and collectors interested in Boafo’s artwork?
(a) They recognize a lack of art by black artists in their collections
(b) They believe his paintings will increase in value
(c) They want to support black artists
(d) They want to impress their friends

8. What does Boafo’s self-portrait in the exhibition show?
(a) Him holding a paintbrush
(b) Him from the back with his arms up
(c) Him playing tennis
(d) Him with his friends in the studio

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Boafo initially started drawing for fun with his friends and did not plan on becoming an artist.
2. Boafo is part of a supportive community of talented artists from West Africa.
3. Boafo’s rise to fame is nothing like a fairy tale, as he started with a lot in Accra but now sells his paintings for pennies.
4. Amoako Boafo is an unknown artist from Ghana who is currently exhibiting one of his self-portraits in his home country.
5. Despite his success, Boafo is a fan of doing interviews.
6. Boafo has received underwhelming recognition and criticism from prestigious art galleries like Larry Gagosian.
7. Boafo primarily paints black people and often uses his fingers as tools.
8. Growing up, Boafo was unaware that artists of color could create portraits.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did Amoako Boafo do before he considered becoming an artist?
2. How did Boafo’s career in art begin to take off?
3. Can you describe the unique technique Boafo often uses in his paintings?
4. Why are museums and art collectors particularly interested in Boafo’s work now?
5. What does Boafo enjoy doing besides painting, according to the article?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What country is Amoako Boafo originally from?
Amoako Boafo is from Ghana.

2. How did Boafo begin his journey into art?
He started drawing for fun with his friends and didn’t originally plan to become an artist.

3. What unique method does Boafo often use in his paintings?
Boafo often uses his fingers to paint.

4. Who helped Boafo get noticed in the art world, and how did they discover his work?
Kehinde Wiley, another famous artist, noticed Boafo’s work on Instagram and helped him get noticed.

5. Where is Boafo’s studio located and who designed the building?
Boafo’s studio is in Accra, and the building was designed by architect Sir David Adjaye.

6. How have the prices of Boafo’s paintings changed since he started his career?
His paintings used to sell for £100 in Ghana, but now they sell for millions of dollars and are shown all over the world.

7. What is the title of the exhibition in Accra where Boafo’s self-portrait is displayed?
The exhibition is called “In and Out of Time.”

8. Besides painting, what other activity does Boafo enjoy?
Boafo enjoys playing tennis.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Boafo
(2) Ghana
(3) interviews
(4) Gagosian
(5) artist
(6) black
(7) group
(8) artists
(9) portrait
(10) Obama
(11) studio
(12) Adjaye
(13) program
(14) Accra
(15) painting
(16) media
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. artist
Answer: (e) Someone who creates beautiful and meaningful artwork

2. self-portraits
Answer: (d) Pictures that an artist makes of themselves

3. exhibition
Answer: (c) A public display of artwork for people to see

4. successful
Answer: (h) Achieving what you want and being well-known for it

5. overwhelming
Answer: (g) Feeling like there is too much happening and it’s hard to handle

6. recognition
Answer: (a) Being appreciated and praised for your work

7. paintings
Answer: (b) Beautiful pictures that an artist creates with paint

8. studio
Answer: (f) A special place where an artist works on their art
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where is Amoako Boafo from?
Answer: (b) Ghana

2. How did Boafo start his career as an artist?
Answer: (a) By drawing for fun with his friends

3. What kind of paintings does Boafo mostly create?
Answer: (d) Portraits of black people

4. How does Boafo paint his artwork?
Answer: (a) With his fingers

5. Who is the famous artist that discovered Boafo’s work on Instagram?
Answer: (c) Kehinde Wiley

6. Where is Boafo’s studio located?
Answer: (d) Accra

7. Why are museums and collectors interested in Boafo’s artwork?
Answer: (c) They want to support black artists

8. What does Boafo’s self-portrait in the exhibition show?
Answer: (b) Him from the back with his arms up
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Boafo initially started drawing for fun with his friends and did not plan on becoming an artist. (Answer: True)
2. Boafo is part of a supportive community of talented artists from West Africa. (Answer: True)
3. Boafo’s rise to fame is nothing like a fairy tale, as he started with a lot in Accra but now sells his paintings for pennies. (Answer: False)
4. Amoako Boafo is an unknown artist from Ghana who is currently exhibiting one of his self-portraits in his home country. (Answer: False)
5. Despite his success, Boafo is a fan of doing interviews. (Answer: False)
6. Boafo has received underwhelming recognition and criticism from prestigious art galleries like Larry Gagosian. (Answer: False)
7. Boafo primarily paints black people and often uses his fingers as tools. (Answer: True)
8. Growing up, Boafo was unaware that artists of color could create portraits. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧