The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City, Nigeria, has been awarded a $3 million grant from the prestigious Mellon Foundation. This significant funding will enable MOWAA to advance arts management, conservation, and education across West Africa, solidifying its role as a regional hub for cultural preservation and research.
The Mellon Foundation, known for its global support of arts and culture, recognizes MOWAA’s role in safeguarding West African heritage and elevating arts in the region. The grant will support several key initiatives over the next three years, including the development of arts management and conservation programs, skills training, and the documentation of Nigeria’s heritage.
Speaking on the grant, MOWAA’s Executive Director, Philip Ihenacho, said, “We are deeply grateful to the Mellon Foundation for their generous support. This grant will allow us to establish world-class facilities and programs that will elevate the management and conservation of our rich cultural heritage.”
Among the initiatives funded by this grant are:
- Arts Management & Conservation: MOWAA will develop cutting-edge collections management operations and provide skills training in conservation and object care at the new MOWAA Institute.
- Residencies & Commissions: Career-building opportunities for emerging and under-represented artists will be supported through interdisciplinary residencies and commissions.
- Archaeology & Heritage Management: The project will focus on protecting Nigeria’s earthen architecture, with particular attention to Benin’s ancient moats.
- Skills Development & Outreach: Traditional crafts-making guilds will be integrated into the contemporary art scene, connecting historical craftsmanship with modern art practices.
The MOWAA Institute, set to open in November 2024, will serve as a hub for heritage research, collections management, and contemporary art practice in West Africa. The facility will feature conservation labs, exhibition spaces, and climate-controlled storage, establishing it as a center of excellence in the region.
Ore Disu, Director of the MOWAA Institute, emphasized the broader vision, saying, “Our goal is to reposition the cultural sector as a viable space for practitioners across borders and to reignite a thriving cultural scene, recentering Benin City as a place of creativity, innovation, and knowledge exchanges.”
MOWAA’s growing list of supporters, including the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the German and Nigerian governments, reflects rising international confidence in the institution’s ability to foster creativity, preserve heritage, and shape the future of the arts in West Africa.
