Learning New Ways of Learning
Written by Nana Adwoa Agyemang
Nana Adwoa Agyemang is a young Ghanaian-American artist whose work explores the intersections of culture, community, and belonging. Drawing from her experiences growing up between Ghana and New York City, she uses art as a bridge between personal identity and collective storytelling. Through her involvement in community mural projects across the city, she views creativity as a form of civic engagement—an act of presence and connection. Her practice blends traditional influences with contemporary narratives, highlighting the beauty and resilience of shared spaces. She continues to explore how to create art that invites dialogue, reflection, and unity across generations and cultures.
I used to think I had to choose between being an artist or an advocate. But my time at the Art Students League has shown me that I can be both. Art, I’ve learned, isn’t separate from the world around me; it’s a language through which I can question, challenge, and celebrate.
My decision to take a gap year between high school and college wasn’t an easy one. As a perfectionist, I found it difficult watching my friends apply to college before me, but taking a gap year was the best choice for my goals—deepening my artistic foundations while also completing an internship at the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, an introduction to my desired college major, Political Science. What I didn’t expect was that the lessons from the League would go beyond artistic development and reshape the way I approach learning, purpose, and impact.
I never thought coming to the League would change me so completely, but it did in more ways than one. I used to think that making art was all feeling, practice, and talent. I believed it was emotional but not intellectual—that artists simply created what they felt without needing to think deeply about it. Meeting League students and learning from its teachers changed that. I began to see that every brushstroke was a decision, every composition a reflection of thought and intent.
From Frank Porcu, I learned that there is no art without the artist. Every piece carries the intention of its creator, and therefore there is no art without intellect. I aim to carry that forward, using my art to give voice to the people and ideas I care about. By visually telling the stories of different cultures, communities, and individuals, I want to wield my tools responsibly, knowing the impact I can make. One of the pieces that embodies this shift in my thinking is an oil painting I created of an African woman carrying a baby on her back. I wanted to capture not just the visual beauty of the scene but the quiet strength, tenderness, and cultural pride within it. Traditionally, oil painting has been dominated by European subjects and aesthetics, but I wanted to expand that narrative to show that stories of African womanhood and everyday life belong in fine art, too.
In the future, I hope to continue learning more about myself and my creativity, how I might best express myself through sculpture, painting, or drawing and intertwine my passion for civic advocacy and law. I want to study the processes of as many teachers as possible, learn what drives their work, and how it manifests in their art. My teacher, Ricky Mujica, says I have such a good eye that I tend to go on autopilot when I paint. Because of that, I’ve been learning to slow down and be more purposeful in every stroke; making choices that reflect not only my skill but my intent.
Over the past year, I’ve grown more than I ever expected—not just as an artist, but as a person. I’ve learned to see art, people, and even myself with greater depth and curiosity. Every class, every conversation, every painting has taught me something new about creativity and purpose.
My advice for other students taking a gap year is to stay true to yourself. Everyone is on a different journey, and only yours is right for you. There’s a growing community of students taking gap years, and you are never alone. Whether you spend it painting, studying, or discovering what drives you, the time you take to understand yourself will always be worth it.
