Projecting Our Sheroes By Above Whispers
Chief (Mrs.) Oyenike Monica Okundaye popularly known as Nike Davies-Okundaye aka “Mummy Nike”, Nike Art Gallery, was born on May 23rd 1951 at Ogidi-Ijumu, Kogi State, Nigeria.
Nike Davies-Okundaye had no formal education because her parents could not afford to pay for her education.
She was educated in art by her great grandmother, a weaver and “adire” textile maker, whom she lived with after the death of her mother and grandmother.
Nike Davies-Okundaye is one of the most respected internationally known female artists from Nigeria. She is a member of several professional bodies.
She is a social entrepreneur and philanthropist, Nike Davies-Okundaye is the Managing Director/CEO of Nike Centre for Art and Culture, Osogbo and Nike Art Galleries, Lagos.
In 1983, Chief Nike took 20 girls off the streets, accommodated, fed and taught them how to earn their source of income through the arts. This led to the establishment of Nike Centre for Art and Culture. Till date, more than 3,000 disadvantaged youths have been freely trained at the Centre.
She is the Founder and Managing Director of “Nike Art Productions Limited” and “Nike Research Centre for Art and Culture Limited.”
In 2007, she founded the “Nike Art and Culture Foundation” which aims at fostering Nigerian cultural heritage.
Nike’s painting is permanently featured at The Smithsonian Museum as of 2012, and her work is also part of the collection of The Gallery of African Art and The British Library, in London.
She is the Yeye Oba of Ogidi-Ijumu land and the Yeye Tasase of Osogbo land.