he creative process involves searching for new experiences and each artist has a personal way of uncovering what is out there waiting to be discovered. Some artists never leave their studios, making connections through imagination, but others of us feel that creativity comes from being out in the world and following our curiosity about the unknown.

(Above) Laurel True, owner of True Mosaics, works with Ghanaian children.

(Top) Ellie Schimelman teaches ceramics to Ghanaian children.

My search took me to Ghana, West Africa, where, for many years, I did volunteer teaching, researched the traditional crafts, and apprenticed with Ghanaian artisans.

In Ghana, it is extremely hot, extremely noisy, and extremely crowded. The impact of constant movement, bright color and loud talk can make you dizzy. But beneath the chaos is an undercurrent. Their lives are difficult but they seem to have the strength to look beyond that and conjure up plans for a better tomorrow. The time came when I wanted to be part of the art community in Ghana and saw a need for someone to connect the African and Western artisans across a very wide cultural divide.

My first experience with this divide came when I took a group of American weavers to a Kente village to study with Ghanaian weavers. The Americans wanted to learn techniques, and to learn them quickly, which amused the Ghanaians.

In Africa, an artist apprentices for years, first learning how to dye the yarn, spin, etc., before learning the patterns. A compromise was reached. The Americans left with a sample of Kente fabric that they had woven and the Ghanaians were left with many stories to tell about the compulsive foreigners.

A sense of humor and a spirit of spontaneity are useful for all artisans, but are especially essential for cultural collaborations. You may be ready to show slides and the electricity goes off or you want to fire the kiln and your gas cylinder is mysteriously missing — to be found later fueling the cooking stove. I see it as a challenge and it makes me more determined to facilitate communication between “them” and “us.”

We built the center with our own hands

Ghanaian artist Ben Adipah helped me build our mud cultural center next to the ocean in the village of Teshie/Nungua. It took me two, frustrating years to acquire the land for the center and I never did find time to write my five-year plan.

Barbara Allen works with Issac Oteng, a Ghanaian potter.

Ben is my co-director of Cross Cultural Collaborative Inc, an educational non-profit program that invites people to Ghana to promote cultural exchange and understanding through the arts. He holds a masters degree in art education and is employed by the Ghana Ministry of Education where he writes the art curriculum for all the public schools. He is also an author and illustrator, and through him, we conduct many workshops for Ghanaian teachers.

Our vision is to put people from different life experiences in a situation where they can express their feelings, use their imaginations, experiment freely and open their minds to new experiences. I divide my time between Ghana and the United States and, when I am not at the center, Ben facilitates the programs. He also does all the computer stuff that I don’t understand.

We try to create a comfortable atmosphere where learning can take place. There are no restrictions. We have young and old, African and non-African, serious artists and those who are just exploring the possibilities.

Artists live and work with Ghanaians

On average, non-Africans come to Ghana from around the world for two-to-four-week visits where they live and work at the center with Ghanaian counterparts. One of the Americans who has participated in workshops is Laurel True, owner of True Mosaics in San Francisco, Calif. During her two visits, Laurel constructed a mosaic wall and the mosaic arch at the entrance to the cultural center with the help of Ghanaian children.

Heather MacKenzie, who recently graduated from Brown University with a degree in textiles, also worked with the Ghanaian children as she studied Kente weaving at the center. And Susan Peterson, a potter from San Francisco, taught pottery workshops to the children.

The visitors pay the cost of airfare plus room and board at the center, which can range as high as $2,600 for travel and a four-week stay. Despite this, almost all the artists and teachers are so happy with their experience that they plan to return. “The Ghanaian people were very friendly and funny,” says Beth Brehmer, a printmaker from Wellfleet, Mass., who taught Ghanaian adults and children how to make etchings. “I’ll definitely be going back. To share ideas with another culture was creative in so many ways.”

Using ceramics to make furniture

One of our most successful workshops was held in August 2002. I joined with 18 Ghanaians, mostly professional potters and teachers, and Barbara Allen, a sculptor and potter who teaches art at Danbury (Conn.) High School, to explore the possibilities of designing and constructing ceramic furniture. We found very few artists making ceramic furniture, or even thinking about it, but being curious people, we went ahead.

In some African villages, the people use clay to construct simple mounds that are flattened on the top and covered with animal skin to be used as tables and stools. They also use clay to construct beds. There are also some sophisticated examples of clay houses and mosques; but fired clay or ceramics in furnishings are not common.

We created prototypes and then made two full-size pieces. For one entire day we discussed the necessity of working in modulars so that the pieces would fit into the kiln. We had certain constraints because the furniture had to be practical and functional.

We found that keeping the pieces simple made them more practical and some of the best examples were based on the stool designs. Because of the humidity, it was necessary to carry the pieces into the sun and then back into the shade every few hours to prevent cracking and to get them dry enough to fire.

Ghanaians see craft as income-producing

It became evident that the Ghanaians saw the success of our furniture construction as a way to solve some of their economic problems. If clay furniture can be marketed, it will discourage the environmentally unsound and expensive use of wood in Africa. It can also make furniture available to everyone. There are clay deposits in every part of the country, but wood is only available in some regions.

“ In planning my journey I never anticipated how tremendously enjoyable my interactions with Ghanaians would be,” says Allen. “My experience … was nothing short of life-changing. Interacting with other artists and educators, late-night discussions around the kiln, or collaborating one-to-one in the moonlit, roof-top, open-air studio broadened my definitions of both art and craft.”

Allen hopes to “complete the circle” by working in the United States on specific clay furniture experiments while the participants in Ghana continue to develop their ideas. Venezuelan potter Gigliola Caneshi also worked on the project with the Ghanaians during her visit to Africa in February.

In August, Allen will return to Ghana with me to work on the clay furniture. Also making the summer trip is Mexican artist Valeria Vallarta who plans to set up a handmade-paper factory, another grassroots effort to provide permanent employment to about 10 Ghanaians. Vallarta has set up similar factories in Mexico, Peru and Guatemala. As if this was not enough, she and I will conduct toy-making workshops as another employment opportunity –– this time for the children.

Everyone has something to learn

Putting people together from diverse cultures is not easy and there are many layers to be peeled back before all of the pieces fit, but the rewards make it worthwhile.

For Americans it’s important to get back to basics and to strip away some of the excesses of a consumer-based society. When they are confronted with simple tools and ancient cultures, they open themselves to a new perspective that enhances their creativity.

The Ghanaians benefit by seeing their culture through someone else’s eyes. They don’t have the extensive research tools of Westerners, and although creative in their own right, they need more exposure to a world view. By bringing outsiders to them we hope to encourage artistic growth and new problem-solving techniques.

Ultimately, we have seen that all of the problems of working in another culture are outweighed by the positive impact. Once you get to know strangers, you find that, although there are differences, there are also many similarities. Being curious about others leads to personal growth and spiritual renewal and these are qualities that spark creativity.

-Ellie Schimelman, president of the Cross Cultural Collaborative Inc., holds a degree in art educationfrom the Rhode Island School of Design. A former professional potter, she divides her time between Ghana and her home in Brookline, Mass. For more information, visit www.culturalcollaborative.org.