Nnenna Okore

Nnenna Okore (b. 1975, Australia) was raised in Nigeria, and works in the United States. She is a Professor of Art at Chicago’s North Park University. She has focused on ecological issues steeped in artistic practice, pedagogy, and social engagements throughout her long career as an artist-researcher-teacher. As a Chicago art practitioner, Okore has participated in numerous participatory art projects and exhibitions designed to produce dialogue, artmaking, and an awareness of current environmental issues. In her creative processes, she uses environmentally friendly materials, such as natural dyes, fibers, fabrics, and bioplastics. Okore is passionate about dialogue on ecological issues and is currently involved in collaborative environmental projects across Nigeria, Australia, and the United States. 

Okore is a Professor of Art at Chicago's North Park University, where she chairs the Art department and teaches courses in Art Theory and Sculptural Practices. Okore is a 2012 Fulbright Award recipient and Creative Victoria Creators Fund. Her works and public art have been featured in major venues, such as the Museum of Art and Design, NY; Spelman Museum of Fine Art, Museu Afro Brasil, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, the Bruges Triennial, the Chengdu International Biennial, Moody Center of Art, Bradbury Art Museum, and more recently at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art. Her 2018 exhibition at Jenkins Johnson Gallery was highlighted in Sculpture Magazine and her essay "Creating a Climate of Change: Bioplastic Call-and-Response" is part of a new publication: "The Work of Art in the Age of Planetary Destruction"; by Eds. Aarathi Prasad and David Osrin. Her work is included in the collections of the Illinois EPA Capital Development Board, Mercedes-Benz Art Collection, and Kruizenga Art Museum. Current exhibitions include Public Matters at the Public Art Abu Dhabi, Climates and Carpets at Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, and Earth Matters at Drake Gardens in Albany Park Chicago. Recent exhibitions include Holding Space at the Beltway in Toronto Canada, Spirit Dance, at The Stanley Museum of Art, Chasing Butterflies in Harmattan, at Sakhile & Me Gallery in Frankfurt Germany, Right is Right at Jenkins Johnson Gallery in San Francisco, FOG Design + Art Fair and Art Basel in Switzerland with Jenkins Johnson Gallery.