September 5, 2022
Written By Charlotte Ashamu, Advisory Board member, Asele Institute
Loren Ijeoma Uche-Okeke was the Chief Executive Officer of the Asele Institute, a cultural institution founded by her late father, master artist and scholar, Uche Okeke, in Nimo, Anambra state, Nigeria in 1958. The Asele Institute houses an important repository and collection of contemporary African art. Ijeoma assumed her position at Asele in 2019 developing the organization’s board, exhibitions and programs. Her drive and determination in preserving her father’s legacy and championing African artists by further developing Asele into a global institution was groundbreaking. Ijeoma’s leadership propelled Asele into creating both a non-profit organization and a family-run business enterprise, the Professor Uche Okeke Legacy Limited. In 2019, she co-edited and initiated the re-launch of Uche Okeke’s seminal book, “Art in Development – A Nigerian Perspective” published by Iwalewa House at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. She also co-curated a major exhibition at Iwalewa House “We will now go to Kpaaza” featuring selected works of Uche Okeke, which opened in 2022.
Ijeoma was a dedicated leader in the arts and culture sector for over 15 years. In South Africa, she served as a Manager at the Visual Arts Network of South Africa and at Gallery MOMO, and as a Project Coordinator at !Kauru Contemporary Art Project where she managed a range of local, regional and international artistic programs. She worked as a cultural researcher, participating in key research projects for numerous organizations including the European Union and the British Council. She was the South African editor of Omenka Magazine and provided editorial and transcription services to MA and PhD students at the School of Arts, Medical Faculty and Business School at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Ijeoma also served as an independent consultant to various organizations across the visual arts sector, academia and mainstream media.
Ijeoma had an active civic life. Starting in 2012, she was a volunteer at the Princess Alice Adoption Home in Johannesburg, providing babies and children with caregiving and food on a weekly basis. She served on the Board of the Visual Arts Network of South Africa and was a member of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy Alumni Association and the University of the Witwatersrand Alumni Association.
Ijeoma graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1992 with a BA with honors in Fine and Applied Arts. Following an early career in Lagos, Nigeria, where she served in roles at the Musical Society of Nigeria and the African Foundation for the Arts, she attended the University of the Witwatersrand from which she earned her MA in Heritage Studies and a postgraduate diploma in Arts, Culture and Heritage Management. Ijeoma also earned a postgraduate diploma in 2008 from Bard College’s Centre for Environmental Policy, receiving a fellowship through Bard’s Learning Across Borders program funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.
By Charlotte Ashamu, Advisory Board member, Asele Institute
Loren Ijeoma Uche-Okeke was the Chief Executive Officer of the Asele Institute, a cultural institution founded by her late father, master artist and scholar, Uche Okeke, in Nimo, Anambra state, Nigeria in 1958. The Asele Institute houses an important repository and collection of contemporary African art. Ijeoma assumed her position at Asele in 2019 developing the organization’s board, exhibitions and programs. Her drive and determination in preserving her father’s legacy and championing African artists by further developing Asele into a global institution was groundbreaking. Ijeoma’s leadership propelled Asele into creating both a non-profit organization and a family-run business enterprise, the Professor Uche Okeke Legacy Limited. In 2019, she co-edited and initiated the re-launch of Uche Okeke’s seminal book, “Art in Development – A Nigerian Perspective” published by Iwalewa House at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. She also co-curated a major exhibition at Iwalewa House “We will now go to Kpaaza” featuring selected works of Uche Okeke, which opened in 2022.
Ijeoma was a dedicated leader in the arts and culture sector for over 15 years. In South Africa, she served as a Manager at the Visual Arts Network of South Africa and at Gallery MOMO, and as a Project Coordinator at !Kauru Contemporary Art Project where she managed a range of local, regional and international artistic programs. She worked as a cultural researcher, participating in key research projects for numerous organizations including the European Union and the British Council. She was the South African editor of Omenka Magazine and provided editorial and transcription services to MA and PhD students at the School of Arts, Medical Faculty and Business School at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Ijeoma also served as an independent consultant to various organizations across the visual arts sector, academia and mainstream media.
Ijeoma had an active civic life. Starting in 2012, she was a volunteer at the Princess Alice Adoption Home in Johannesburg, providing babies and children with caregiving and food on a weekly basis. She served on the Board of the Visual Arts Network of South Africa and was a member of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy Alumni Association and the University of the Witwatersrand Alumni Association.
Ijeoma graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1992 with a BA with honors in Fine and Applied Arts. Following an early career in Lagos, Nigeria, where she served in roles at the Musical Society of Nigeria and the African Foundation for the Arts, she attended the University of the Witwatersrand from which she earned her MA in Heritage Studies and a postgraduate diploma in Arts, Culture and Heritage Management. Ijeoma also earned a postgraduate diploma in 2008 from Bard College’s Centre for Environmental Policy, receiving a fellowship through Bard’s Learning Across Borders program funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.
By Charlotte Ashamu, Advisory Board member, Asele Institute