Nigeria: Drawing From the Lifeline - Zaria 1980-1987

The Fulani people live within rhythms shaped by movement, tradition, and responsibility. During my time in Nigeria, I was drawn to the grace embedded in ordinary tasks—cooking, cleaning, tending children, preparing food. These works honor women not as symbols, but as the steady center of daily life, where care and labor merge without spectacle.

Portrait of Liz, a student at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria, created during the artist’s years teaching there and

Nigeria: Drawing From the Lifeline - Zaria
1980-1987

The Fulani people live within rhythms shaped by movement, tradition, and responsibility. During my time in Nigeria, I was drawn to the grace embedded in ordinary tasks—cooking, cleaning, tending children, preparing food. These works honor women not as symbols, but as the steady center of daily life, where care and labor merge without spectacle.

Large charcoal drawing of Ikulu village elders gathered in council to consider a research request, symbolizing traditional leadership, community decision-making, and cultural preservation in northern Nigeria

Call To Council | Charcoal | 4'x7'

Call To Council records a pivotal moment from my years living and teaching in northern Nigeria. Before my colleagues and I could photograph and document the culture of the Ikulu people, our request was presented to the village council. The drawing captures the elders as they deliberate, reflecting a tradition in which important decisions were made collectively through discussion, wisdom, and mutual respect.

More than a documentary record, the work is a tribute to the values of community, leadership, and cultural stewardship. It represents a rare moment of trust, when an outsider was invited to witness and learn from a society deeply committed to preserving its heritage.