Scottish Sculptor Mark Stoddart invested a portion of his earnings in the construction of a special school in Nairobi 30 years after he got his artistic inspiration in Kenya.
Speaking to the Scottish press on Monday, July 11, Stoddart noted that he was helping the Kenya Dyslexia Organisation build a new school for the New RareGem Talent School in Nairobi.
He laid the foundation of the school in an effort to help it build its own headquarters to move away from rentals it is currently engaged in.
The artist further noted that he decided to give back to Nairobi because it was the place he first got the inspiration to incorporate wild animal sculptures into furniture.
As part of his contribution, Stoddart forwarded funds from the sale of a special raffle of a Hostage Hippo coffee table. The table was sculptured to mark the fifth birthday Fiona the Hippo, a Cincinnati Zoo mainstay born six months prematurely weighing just 29 pounds.
“I’m trying to get them to the first stage to enable them to move out of their existing premises. Kenya is where it all started for me more than 30 years ago through the Hippo connection.
"The current school is in rented premises at the moment, but rents and running costs are rising all the time," stated Stoddart.
Drawing from his own experience, the artist noted that he learnt the art of sculpting even though he also suffers from dyslexia.
"The school is well beyond maximum capacity with 215 dyslexic students, some with other disabilities, and 90 per cent of their board. They have a waiting list of more than 100 students that they can’t take.
"If I can get them to the first stage that will enable them to move out of their rented buildings they would be able to cut their overheads," he added.
Stoddart set up his business in 1990 where he creates exotic artistic furniture and unique, highly collectable bronze sculptures.
He has previously created coffee tables encompassing glass tops and shiny bronze sculptures of animals (hippos and horses) and an African woman among others.
His pieces sell for between Ksh70,000 (£500) for a simple Rhino sculpture to Ksh1.1 million (£8,000) for a Mark Stoddart Hippo table designed in 1998.
Separately, the artist is also funding a school for children with dyslexia in Bali, Indonesia.
