International Women of Colour Day: Celebrating Magdalene Odundo
On International Women of Colour Day, I celebrate by highlighting the work of Magdalene Odundo, Professor of Ceramics at the University College for the Creative Arts.
I cherish the memory of a workshop I attended where Magdalene, soft spoken and charming, presented her work. We, the audience, gave a collective gasp of awe and admiration as we watched her hands adroitly create poetry from clay as she built a stunning pot from scratch – a process brilliantly executed in the most superbly simple way one could imagine.
Magdalene’s work has been exhibited in many places including the Crafts Council at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg and the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, New Hampshire. Her work is also found in museums worldwide including the Smithsonian, the Gardiner Museum and in private collections. Due to their uniqueness and excellence, the works are sold for quite large sums of money – in 2006, for example, a piece of art was sold for £28,405.
If you look closely at her work, you can see the various forms of women represented; among them, flaring hips, the belly of a pregnant woman and a graceful long neck with the head elegantly tilted back.
Magdalene and her superlative art make me want to stand on a spire and tell the world: This is who we are. See what we are capable of.
Viva Magdalene.
10 comments
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You are celebrated too Magdalene thats awesome work. And you too Auntie.
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Thank you Nakeel
Very beautiful to portray the real woman as she is.
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Thanks, yep2
Wow! An African whose works of art are displayed in the best museums and who garners large sums of money for her individual artistic pieces. Why haven’t I heard a podcast show interviewing her or read her autobiography. WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR (MYSELF ESPECIALLY)?
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There is an art world out there, Mwangi, that is not linked to the Internet, blogs, podcasts, Mwangi and I think this is the world of artistes such as Magdalene. However, I think the idea of a podcast where Magdalene can talk about her work and achievements is an excellent one. Thanks for the links, by the way.
[...] example of someone phenomenal who we should be celebrating and I had never heard of until today is Magdalene Odundo. Check her out at the Mshairi [...]
[...] 2) Magdalene Odundo [...]
Congratulations. As a Sculptor myself, I deeply thrilled to see that with hard work and dedication, we can achieve more.
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Hi Osumba, thanks for stopping by. I agree with you with regard to hard work and dedication. I would love to see your work. Any photos?
Glad to see you back!
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Thank you, Sokari. I am glad to be back too!
good to see magdalene odundo being celebrated! not too long ago i made a coil pot whose design was inspired by one of her own. it took me many a week and doesn’t look even nearly half as good! she’s amaaaaazing!
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Hi sci-culturist, glad to see someone else who loves Magdalene Odundo’s work. Thanks for stopping by.
I have been following Magdalenes work for 8 years and it always enthralls me. I too am a ceramists, not yet inthe league of MO but use all the same processes. Love her stuff. Do not know any African women ceramic artist like her.
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