A Leap of Faith: Akinola Lasekan’s Relationship with the Harmon Foundation

Article by Tashae Smith

This is an excerpt from the essay A Leap of Faith: Akinola Lasekan’s Relationship with the Harmon Foundation that will be featured in an upcoming exhibition catalogue, available April 2024.

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Artist Talk with Jimga

Article by Tashae Smith

Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial fellow, Tashae Smith sat down with Political Cartoonist and lecturer Dr. Ganiyu Jimoh to discuss his work and the influence of artist and political cartoonist, Akinola Lasekan.

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Consolidating Miranda “Olayinka” Burney-Nicol’s Night Dancer

Article by Lopez

This post introduces Angie Lopez, the current Andrew W. Mellon Conservation Fellow, and shares her journey into the art conservation field. She also discusses her experience of working on her first painting from the Hampton University Modern African Art collection, Night Dancer by Miranda “Olayinka” Burney-Nicol, and her examination of the painting's structure, artist’s technique, and condition.

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Serendipity led me to the Chrysler Museum of Art’s internship program

Article by Bria Miller

Read this post to learn more about Bria Miller's experience as the Andrew W. Mellon curatorial intern for the Summer of 2023!

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About the Fellowship

A partnership between the Chrysler Museum or Art and the Hampton University Museum

In 2021, The Chrysler Museum of Art, in partnership with the Hampton University Museum was awarded a $500,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The highly competitive grant aims to diversify the field of Curation and Conservation by conducting a three-year pilot fellowship program for two aspiring museum professionals who have completed master’s degrees. The curatorial fellow, Tashae Smith, and the conservation fellow, Elizabeth Robson, will examine the Chrysler Museum’s traditional African collection and Hampton University Museum’s Harmon Foundation Collection of Modern African Art. Their work will demonstrate the ongoing importance of collecting, preserving and studying non-Western art.

About the fellowship

Thank you to our partners

For making this fellowship possible

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