Suzanna Ogunjami (c. 1885–c. 1952; lived and worked in Jamaica, the United States, and Sierra Leone), A Nupe Princess, c. 1934. Oil on canvas, 20 x 15 ½ in. Fisk University Galleries, Nashville. Gift of the Harmon Foundation. Courtesy of American Federation of Arts.
Diaspora Dialogues: African Art Influence across the Atlantic
Following a self-guided tour of African Modernism in America, join the annual Diaspora Dialogues event, a conversation among Black women in St. Louis organized by Vitendo4Africa and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. International Awareness and Involvement Committee. This year’s theme will center on a transnational discussion of African art and its connections to African American artists, the social and political roles of art in African and African American contexts during the 1950s and 1960s, and the importance of teaching these histories to challenge Western notions of African art. Invited speakers include Erin Falker-Obichigha, artist, art historian, and curator; Bukky Gbadegesin, associate professor of art history at Saint Louis University; Yvonne Osei (MFA-VA16), artist; and MwazaCarol Thompson-Robinson, artist. The discussion on the social and political roles of art in African and African American contexts continues over a modern Congolese cuisine provided by Lady Lauralie.
Free and open to the public. Registration is required.
Space is limited. If registration is full, email kempereducation@wustl.edu to add your name to the waiting list.
5:30 pm Exhibition viewing; 6 pm Discussion and dinner
The event will be recorded. Sign language interpreters can be requested; two weeks’ notice is required. Please email kempereducation@wustl.edu.