welcome
ANGELA ABIODUN On March 9, we welcomed Angela Abiodun as our new collaboration and outreach manager. In this role, Abiodun will support the institute’s High Stakes Art initiative, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, by developing relationships with community, arts and cultural institutions on campus and around Michigan. Her primary goal will be to develop sustainable, collaborative relationships leading to humanities and arts-related programming.
“ART I S A WAY TO NOT ONLY BUILD CONNECTION, BUT TO FIND ENGAGING WAYS TO COMMENT ON THE STATE OF THE WORLD. THROUGH THESE EXPRESSIONS, WE’RE ABLE TO EXTEND OUR THINKING AND FIND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO BE AND STRUCTURE SOCIETY.” -ANGELA ABIODUN
Abiodun grew up in Southeast Michigan and attended the University of Michigan, earning a BA in sociology and psychology and an MA in educational studies. After college, she spent several years teaching middle and high school English in central Louisiana, an experience she says “left me in awe every day.” More recently, she honed her community outreach and organizational skills as director of programs for Detroit Food Academy and as the artist residency coordinator for the media arts organization People in Education. Outside of the office, Abiodun is a yoga instructor and practices with the Iyengar Yoga Detroit studio in Hamtramck. She is also a poet and writer, and a member of 10
Room Project, a writing space for women and gender non-conforming folk in Detroit. “We live in a world defined by how it can be categorized,” she explains. “I write to expand the bounds of what can exist in this world and the way it can be expressed. I write to make space for my reality in the archive. I write so the uniqueness of my experiences exist beyond the moment.” Abiodun’s first day with the institute was also the first day of our undergrad-led Humanities Week. She jumped right in, scanning student’s MCards and talking to them about the institute as they stopped by for bagels and coffee. Within days, though, COVID-19 hit Michigan and staff began working from home. Despite these challenges, she has quickly become a vibrant member of our team-and an integral part of the four-squares of the new House Calls virtual series-as staff meet on Zoom and look for new ways to virtually engage our communities with the humanities. –Stephanie Harrell, marketing and communications manager
