The Waldron Arts Center announces a new exhibit for September & October: OSOGBO: Art & Heritage Exhibition

The Waldron Arts Center presents the OSOGBO: Art & Heritage Exhibition, a retrospective of Nigerian contemporary art from the world-renowned Osogbo School of Art. The show will open with a reception on Friday, September 13, from 5-8pm, in the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery. Joining at the reception will be NOLA World Music & Artwerks curator, Robin Williams. The exhibition will feature a talk with Indiana University College Professor Emeritus of Folklore, Henry Glassie, on Wednesday, September 18. The event will run from 5-8pm, with the talk beginning at 6pm. Glassie will speak about his relationship and work with Twins Seven-Seven, and his book Prince Twins Seven-Seven: His Art, His Life in Nigeria, His Exile in America. The exhibit will also be on display during Gallery Walk on Friday, October 4, and during Lotus World Music and Arts Festival.

The Osogbo School of Art was spearheaded by two European artists, Ulli Beier and Susanne Wenger, in the early 1960s as a cultural response to the colonialism and appropriation so blatantly apparent in the European modernism of the 20th century. Many of Modernism’s most recognizable artists created works directly based on African art ideas with no citation or credit given to their influencers. In an effort to highlight the strength, beauty, and originality of African art, Beier and Wenger, along with renowned Nigerian playwright, Duro Ladipo, started the Mbari Mbayo Art Club, which directly led to the founding of the Osogbo School of Art.

OSOGBO: Art & Heritage exhibits a retrospective of work spanning 63 years, and features some of the movements most prominent artists, including Chief Nike Davies Okundaye, Rufus Ogundele, Chief Jimoh Buraimoh, Twins Seven-Seven, and founder Susanne Wenger. The exhibit also includes works from some of the youngest artists included in the movement, including Oladapo Agboola, who shared, “I’m thrilled that my work will be featured alongside those of esteemed Osogbo artists. Let’s keep the momentum going.” 

Williams originally began the OSOGBO Art & Heritage Exhibition as a traveling exhibition in 2025 at the Southwest Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Since its inaugural presentation, the collection has been featured at several arts venues, most recently the Global Village in Indianapolis, Indiana. The exhibit was made possible with support from the Indiana Arts Commission, The Arts Federation and Arts Trust, the Global Village Welcome Center, and Lotus Education & Arts Foundation. The Arts Trust has recognized the exhibition for excellence in arts programming statewide. 

"OSOGBO: Art & Heritage Exhibition is making significant efforts to preserve the legacy of Osogbo artists. The fact that Osogbo Art is gaining recognition in support and the United States is truly a privilege. It instills hope in the next generation, including myself, that we are contributing to a lasting legacy," says Agboola. We hope that you will join us in celebrating and uplifting the works by these talented artists. ​