Arriving in Lagos!

First stop Lagos, Nigeria... we can't wait to land in the Democratic Republic of Congo

JTE in Lagos Airport...

this experience was nothing short of amazing--indescribable, actually. i could not be more thankful to have had the opportunity to share with the local musicians/dancers. it was beautiful to see, first-hand, how exactly art transcends borders.

-sandy
p.s. this is honestly one of my favorite pictures... i feel the caption should be something like "little did we know..."

EVIDENCE visits Nike Okundaye at the NIKE ART GALLERY in Nigeria

Nike Art Gallery

On Sunday, March 7, 2010, we went to the gallery of the artist Nike Okundaye. Nike greeted us with a very warm and inviting welcome. The gallery was huge, white walls and several floors filled with very colorful and amazing art works of many artists. There were tons of paintings but there was also furniture, jewelry, fabrics, clothing, sculptures, beaded art work and the list goes on! As a visual artist, it was truly inspiring to be there and see the many ways each of the artists expressed themselves. The textures, vibrant colors, sand, beading, metal, so many elements included in each of the works! The way the fabrics were dyed and just the intricate detailing of how everything came together showed the deep passion and heart of every piece of work in the gallery. I was happy that those artists have a home to house their work for all to see and an advocate like Nike who can aid in their growth and development.

Inside the Nike Art Gallery

Oil painting on canvas

After viewing the gallery we sat down to talk with Nike and her husband. She had a spread of teas, coke, water, wine, and coffee for us to enjoy ourselves. She wanted us to feel like we were home. She also wanted to give each of us Nigerian names, which i was also very excited about!! Before she gave us our names, some other guests were entering the gallery and she stepped away for a minute to speak with them. At this time, her husband wanted to tell us more about Nike and the gallery. It was a blessing to hear him speak about the work of his wife and the testimony of her life. It was just confirmation for me that everything we do and go through, whether good or bad, with time will be a blessing to all!! God works out all things in the end, for our good!!

Learning the craft of dyeing

When Nike came back she gave us our names, each name fit us well and made us all smile!! After that, we all remembered some things in the gallery that really spoke to us that we wanted to buy. We were very excited and happy about our purchases and most importantly visiting the gallery of this amazing artist, Nike!! It was a great blessing!

EVIDENCE with Nike Okundaye and US Consulate

-Francine Ott

EVIDENCE first master class in Nigeria

March 6, 2010

Outside the Terra Kulture Center

Our first master class in Nigeria was at an arts center named "Terra Kulture". It was a class for about fifty children from ages four to eleven. For such a large group of kids, I think we were all expecting it to be a bit loud and rowdy as we entered the room. But they seemed surprisingly disciplined, the inside voices were on! We divided them into three groups according to age. I assisted Arcell with the four to six year olds. It reminded me of the creative movement classes I used to assist with in New York. Kids at that age are just so open and eager to learn. It makes teaching feel just that much more rewarding. And gives you a greater responsibility as they are also more impressionable. Even if they don't remember what we physically did in class, the experience will stick with them in its own way shape or form. They all did very well picking up what we showed them and seemed to enjoy themselves the entire time. After we gave the class we flipped the script and asked them to teach us. Most of them were a bit shy, but a few of the older children showed us some movements from different traditional Nigerian dances. It was a nice exchange and a great start to our stay in Nigeria.

Clarice learning a traditional Nigerian dance from the students

-Lilli Tai