The newest addition to the Mariposa Museum’s exhibit exploring multiculturalism in New Hampshire is the artwork of Nigerian-born artist Segun Olorunfemi.
Formally trained as an artist in Nigeria, and listed in the Smithsonian’s Who’s Who of Nigerian Art, Olorunfemi’s colorful artwork has a contemporary feel. Using media that is not traditional to Nigeria — sand painting, yarn, batik on rice paper, and linoleum block print — he creates scenes from memories of traditional Yoruba life.
The artist, who lives in Manchester, will give a talk at the Mariposa about his life and work on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m.
Admission is free to members and $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for children who are not members.
An arts workshop offered by Olorunfemi for home school students and their families will kick off the Mariposa’s monthly home school programming on Sept. 27. Reservations are required. For more information, call 924-4555.
Olorunfemi has dedicated his life to a belief that artists of every culture should teach new generations. He taught art at both the high school level and to people with disabilities, both in Nigeria and in New Hampshire. It was his involvement in Very Special Arts of Nigeria that first brought him to New Hampshire. He later emigrated to Manchester with his family.
Olorunfemi’s perspective as a VSA teacher and as an immigrant in New Hampshire made his work an ideal choice for the Mariposa’s current series of exhibits and programs exploring the theme “Why Inclusion Matters.” The first part of this series is focusing on multiculturalism in New Hampshire and also includes photography by Becky Field celebrating the culture and diversity refugees and immigrants bring to New Hampshire; a sculpture, “The Women” by N.H. artist Maggie Cahoon, depicting four generations of Muslim refugee women in a section exploring refugee resettlement in New Hampshire and around the world; and “Whole Cloth,” tracing the journey of Burundian and Rwandan women to New Hampshire, created by the nonprofit Rubia, with support from the N.H. Humanities Council.
The museum is open every day except Monday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.mariposamuseum.org or call 924-4555.