Jide Ojo | Afro Fine Arts
Pregnant Ancestor #1

PREGNANT ANCESTOR #1

Jewels of the Night

JEWELS OF THE NIGHT

Tears of My Ancestors, #23

TEARS OF MY ANCESTORS #22

Children of the Ancestors Panel H

CHILDREN OF THE ANCESTORS, PANEL H

Bubbles and Bursts #1

BUBBLES AND BURSTS #1

Bubbles and Bursts #2

BUBBLES AND
BURSTS #2

Self 1972

SELF 1972

Pregnant Ancestor #2 (in progress)

PREGNANT ANCESTOR #2 (IN PROGRESS)

  Jide Ojo at work on Children of the Ancestors in 2001

Jide Ojo at work outside his studio in Brooklyn on Children of the Ancestors in 2001. Photo credit: Ronke Ojo.

The Visionary Sensibility of Jide Ojo

Forged from an Urban Landscape

2002 Arts Gallery, 526 West 26th St, Suite 311, New York, NY
2000 Skylight Gallery at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Center Arts and Culture, Brooklyn, NY
1998 La Mama La Galleria, 6E First Street, New York,  NY
1996 Painting: ABBA Studio Gallery, 561 Broadway, New York, NY
1980 Painting: Certification and Doctoral Shows, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY
1979 Thesis Exhibition, Communications Design: Master of Science in Communications Design, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
1970 Thesis Exhibition, Graphic Design: Ordinary Diploma in Commercial Art, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria


Installation at the Windows to the Soul exhibition at Skylight Gallery, 1999

Installation, Windows to the Soul exhibition at Skylight Gallery in 1999.

Group Exhibitions

2014 Friends of Ceres Gallery, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
2012 H E A L I N G S, Skylight Gallery at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Center for Arts and Culture, Brooklyn, NY
2012 Los Angeles Goes Live: Performance Art in Southern California 1970-1983, LACE, Los Angeles CA
2011 Black History Show, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, New York, NY
2010 Artists Speaking for the Spirits, The Artcurian Mural Project, 22 Chapel Street, Brooklyn,  NY
2009 Black History Month Show, Skylight Gallery at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Center for Arts and Culture, Brooklyn, NY
2006 The Studio Visit, Exit Art, 475 10th Avenue, New York, NY
2005 AL:LUSION II, Savacou Gallery, 240 East 13th Street, New York, NY
2004 Brooklyn Borough President's Office, 209 Joralemon, Brooklyn, NY
2004 Holland Tunnel Gallery, 61 South 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY
2003 Jazz Gallery, 165 Hudson Street, New York, NY
2002 Fire Patrol No. 5, 307 West 121 Street, #1, New York, NY
2001 Fire Patrol No. 5, 307 West 121 Street, #1, New York, NY
2000 Contemporary Art Show, KeySpan Corporate Headquarters, One Metro Tech Center, Brooklyn, NY
1999 Windows to the Soul: Robin Holder, Charlotte Ka, Jide Ojo. Skylight Gallery at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation's Center for Arts and Culture, Brooklyn, NY
1999 Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY
1999 U.F.A. Gallery, Chelsea, New York, NY
1999 New Century Gallery, Soho, NY
1998 Black New York Artists of the 20th Century, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, NY
1998 The Emerging Collector, 62 Second Avenue, New York, NY
1997 La Mama La Galleria, 6E First Street, New York, NY
1996 La Mama La Galleria, 6E First Street, New York, NY
1995 The Emerging Collector, 62 Second Avenue, New York, NY
1995 Multi Media Arts Gallery, 594 Broadway, New York, NY
1994 Multi Media Arts Gallery, 594 Broadway, New York, NY
1993 Multi Media Arts Gallery, 594 Broadway, New York, NY
1992 Skylight Gallery at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Center for Arts and Culture, Brooklyn, NY
1992 Multi Media Arts Gallery, 594 Broadway, New York, NY
1986 Boniface Gallery, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, NY
1981 Focus on Africa, Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University New York, NY
1980 Certification and Doctoral Exhibition, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY
1978 M.Sc. Exhibition, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
1970 Associate Degree Show, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria
About the Artist

Biography

Portrait of Jide Ojo

Portrait of Jide Ojo in 2011 by Mark Blackshear

THE YEAR WAS 1972. I arrived in New York City in October. My goal was primarily to continue my art education. I came to the land of opportunity which I had heard so much about. It was purely a self-seeking venture. It is possible to achieve anything in America if you are ambitious and industrious.

My two initial degrees, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Communications Design, were achieved while I worked as a security guard, a messenger, and a dishwasher in New York City. While completing my master’s degree I won a scholarship to further my education. Eventually I earned a doctorate from Columbia University. In July of 2012, I retired after 27 years of teaching in the New York City Public School system. I am spending my days on my art now.

— Jide Ojo, 2013

Collections

The artist is represented in private collections in Nigeria and the United States.

Education

1984
Columbia University, New York, PhD, Doctor of Art and Art Education
1979 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Master of Science Communication Design
1974 New York Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Commercial Art
1971 Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria
Associate Degree Graphic Design

Experience

1985-
1987
Adjunct Professor
Malcolm-King College
New York, NY
1985-
1987
Art Teacher
High School of Art and Design
New York, NY
1987-1990 Art Teacher
Walt Whitman Middle School
Brooklyn, NY
1995-2001 Art Teacher
William E. Taft High School
Brooklyn, NY
2001-2012 Art Teacher
John Dewey High School
Brooklyn, NY