MERGE featured artist of the week, Adesola Owolabi

Adesola Owolabi is this Friday’s featured MERGE artist. Owolabi graduated just last year, after changing her major from computer information systems to art, with an emphasis on ceramics. We caught up with her both by email and at the grand opening event. Check out the video of her talking about the piece she submitted to MERGE and why she love Metro State.

Metro State: How do you characterize your art?
Adesola Owolabi: Symbolic

MS: Tell me about your latest work and why you are inspired by it.
AO: My new series title “Ifesowapo” is inspired by my relationship with everyone around me.

MS: In what ways did your Metro State Professors influence your works?
AO: Tsehai Johnson and Kathleen Royster-Lamb’s encouragement and the persistent push to take my work to the next level really gave me high hope in everything I do. Also, my interning with Tsehai while I was at school was an eye opener to the art world.

MS: How has your work evolved since you graduated?
AO: I have so much time now for proper planning and layout before anything is executed and have been leaning more towards sculptural rather than functional.

MS: Tell me why you submitted the piece you did for MERGE.
AO: I submitted the piece because it was my latest best and one of my largest.

MS: How do you feel about this opportunity to present your work for Metro State’s new CVA facility?
AO: I feel honored to be part of the Metro Art Community and Metro State at large

MS: Is there anything I am not asking you that you want to share with me?
AO: I missed living in Colorado, but it's always going to be home too.

Read more about Owolabi on the Metro State Web site or by checking out the 9News piece in which she was featured.

MERGE: Metro State Alumni Exhibition 2010 – The Anniversary Year

July 16 - August 28

Opening reception July 16
6-7 pm: Private artist reception for members and special guests
7-9 pm: Public reception MERGE was juried by Greg Watts, current Chair of the Metro State Department of Art and Barbara Houghton, Professor of Art at Northern Kentucky University and former Chair of the Metro State

Department of Art. As the CVA celebrates its 20th Anniversary it is significant that these two jurors have joined forces. Barbara Houghton played a considerable role in the creation of the CVA 20 years ago and Greg Watts has helped develop the CVA into its role today as contributor to the Rocky Mountain art scene and most recently, as an important anchor for the Santa Fe arts district.

Highlighting some of the best talent to come out of the Metro State Art Department, MERGE features both emerging and well established artists, juried from a local and national basis.

Eligibility to participate in MERGE was open to artists who graduated from Metro State in 2009 or earlier. All work was completed within the last three years. Profiles of the artists will be posted to the CVA Facebook page every week for the duration of the exhibition.

Artists:
Jeffery Ball, Phil Bender, Cristine Boyd, Mary Cay, Gabriel Christus, Evan Colbert, Terry Decker, Heather Doyle-Maier, Robert Dunahay, Mark Friday, Shawn Garvin, Jennifer Ghormley, Jason Gimbel, Kathryn Gregonis, Celina Grigore, Megan Harrison, Katie Hoffman, Conor Hollis, Jennifer Jeannelle, Heidi Jung, Josiah Lopez, Merlin Madrid, Dawn McFadden, Skyler McGee, Todd Muller, Lauri Lynnxe Murphy, Luzia Ornelas, Adesola Owolabi, J. John Priola, Marie Quinn, Brian Rendon, Claudia Roulier, Sean Rozales, Caroline Rutsche, Dave Seiler, Tony Stanzione, Sue Whitmore, Kyle Wimmer

The CVA is open late First and Third Fridays until 8 p.m. - August 6 and 20
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday noon-5pm. www.MetroStateCVA.org
Admission is free.
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This just in--9News article features MSCD graduating senior. Congrats Adesola Owolabi

Nigerian artist shaping a new future with clay

She traveled more than 6,800 miles and it took her 13 years, but Adesola Owolabi will walk across the stage at Metro State College this Sunday and get her diploma... Read the full article about Owolabi here.

This Week At Metro: Graduates cover a broad spectrum of experiences, Adesola Owolabi

An artist, a soccer coach, an entrepreneur, and an anthropologist are among the 1,066 students expected to receive their diploma at the commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Colorado Convention Center. Their journeys represent a sampling of the widely varied experiences of Metro State students in earning their college degrees.

Adesola Owolabi

Adesola Owolabi's (Ad-dee-sola O-wo-la-bee) husband thought she was crazy when she decided to switch her studies from computer information systems to art with an emphasis in ceramics. It started in 2006 with a simple glance into a ceramics class. From that point, she was hooked. On Sunday, the 35-year-old Nigerian-born art major will graduate from Metro State.

When her husband Bola, a 2001 Metro State grad in engineering technology, took a software engineer job in Kansas City, Missouri in 2007, the couple created a plan where she could remain in Denver to finish her program. Adesola stayed in Denver with their son, Justin, who was three at the time. Then they had another son, Jordan, who stays with Bola. It has worked, but Adesola is looking forward to joining her husband in Kansas City. She also plans to go to graduate school.

She is exhibiting her work, along with that of other students, at the BFA Thesis Exhibitions that run through Dec. 10 at the Center for Visual Art. Her exhibit "Ikoko Ibile" features a series of vessels -- averaging two feet tall -- which take a critical view of decoration within her cultural identity, the Yoruba culture.