An Artist of Hope

Thanks to the most recent presidential election, the message of hope can seem a little stale; nothing more than another political tagline used to cull voters.

But for artist Max Lyonga, the message of hope is a very real thing. His paintings are currently on display at the Edmonds Community College Art Gallery in an exhibition entitled The Therapy of Hope.

Lyonga is in Edmonds now. He's on the second leg of a two-week tour in which he has spoken at five local schools to over 15 different classes, in addition to talking with students at Edmonds Community College.

Lyonga, a 42-year-old working artist who lives in Cameroon with his wife and two children, came to Edmonds through an old friend, Sarah Maki, who works at EdCC as a Visual Arts Co-Chair and instructor. Maki studied in Cameroon during college.

“While I was there I was teaching art," Maki told a group of students at Edmonds Heights, where she was introducing Lyonga. "And because I was teaching art, people in the community said, ‘You need to meet Max Lyonga.’”

According to both Maki and Lyonga, artists are usually very private in Cameroon, and don’t often share their work with others for fear of plagiarism. Lyonga was willing to meet Maki, and they connected through a shared love of art and teaching.

Many years later they connected again through the Internet, and set up an exchange program with children in Edmonds and children in Buea, Cameroon, where the artist works with youth. The kids write each other letters and send homemade art. Lyonga loves children, and believes in the importance of art and creative expression.

“The message of my exchange program is the therapy of hope,” Lyonga said. “I don’t paint negative things. There was a period of time in Africa where all white people came and only wanted to address negative things. That period is past. We are in the contemporary age and we should focus on positive things.”

As a young child in Cameroon, Lyonga was encouraged by his father to study to become a doctor or an engineer, but he always had the propensity for art. He said that in school he would not only give a written or numerical answer to test questions, but also draw a picture to go along with the response.

“My dad said, ‘You are a madman, you are an idiot, you are useless,’” Lyonga said. “He was comparing me to my junior brother, who was very smart. I took all this provocation as a challenge to show everybody that I was more than that, and that the decision I made to become an artist was the right decision.” 

Now Max makes a living off his art, and also donates his paintings to be sold for HIV/AIDS charities. He believes in the therapeutic function of art, especially with children who are troubled or sick. His love for children is evident, and he takes time after every lecture to answer questions and speak with children who are interested in art. He encourages them to make their work unique and embrace their artistic abilities, something that he is very clearly doing in his own work.

“I paint every day,” Lyonga said. “Every day of my life is painting. I enjoy my art. I move, I dance, I shake and the work just flows…it makes me so happy.”

The Therapy of Hope will be on display at the Edmonds Community College Art Gallery through June 11.