Dr. Moyosore Okediji

Biography

Moyosore Okediji is a distinguished art historian and artist, specializing in African art. He studied Fine Arts at the University of Ife and pursued further education at the University of Benin, where he obtained an MFA with a focus on African art criticism, poetry, and painting. Okediji earned his PhD in African Arts and Diaspora Visual Cultures from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has been influential in teaching. He apprenticed with indigenous African artists, working with various sacred and secular mediums, including mat weaving, textile designs, terra cotta, shrine painting, and sculpture. After relocating to the United States in 1992, he served as a curator for African and Oceanic arts at the Denver Art Museum for ten years. Okediji has also taught at prominent institutions such as Wellesley College, Gettysburg College, and the University of Colorado at Denver. His work has been exhibited in prestigious venues, including the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He is the author of several important publications, including "African Renaissance: Old Forms, New Images of Yoruba Art" and "Shattered Gourd: Yoruba Forms in Twentieth Century American Art."

Research Interests