ATLANTA — Nigeria native Bukunmi Bifarin has always been interested in becoming a museum curator. That dream, and her desire to embrace other cultures, took Bifarin more than 5,000 miles away from family and friends to Georgia State University. This spring, she will graduate from Georgia State with a master’s degree in anthropology.
While at Georgia State, Bifarin spent most of her time delving into Atlanta’s African art culture. While some may have found the transition from one country to another difficult, Bifarin said her transition wasn’t difficult at all thanks to Atlanta’s diverse culture.
“Moving to Atlanta was a good choice for me because of the city’s vibrant culture and art,” Bifarin said. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to attend Georgia State. This experience really grounded me in a solid foundation and exposed me to so much.”
As part of her research, Bifarin attended art exhibits at aKAZI, an Atlanta-based art gallery featuring art from African cities such as Dakar, Accra, Lagos, Johannesburg and Maputo. She also conducted interviews with art collectors and African art enthusiasts.
“My master’s degree exposed me to a strong African art community. I would go to the gallery and interact with people and get exposed to such a wide range of art,” Bifarin said. “I interviewed the owners of the gallery and would visit their homes that doubled as a gallery.”
Bifarin’s research thesis, “Bridging Spaces: An Ethnographic Study of Transnational African Art in Atlanta,” also earned her a third-place finish in this year’s Three-Minute Thesis competition.
“It was a good experience for me. I was happy to put my work out there,” Bifarin said. “I was really happy [to receive third place] because I made my family and department proud. I also made the Georgia State Nigerian community proud.”
Bifarin’s hard work paid off. She received a full ride to three doctoral degree programs at Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of South Carolina.
Bifarin plans to attend Emory University and will pursue a doctorate degree in the university’s art history program.
While most of Bifarin’s family will watch her cross the stage virtually from her hometown in Nigeria, Bifarin said she’s thankful for her extended family at Georgia State who made her feel welcome and loved.
“The support of the faculty, staff and students made my transition easy. I’m relieved it’s over, but this is a great accomplishment. I saw it through to the very end and I’m looking forward to graduation,” Bifarin said.
-Photo by Raven Schley