Cultural producer and arts activist Oronike Odeleye has been artistic director of the National Black Arts Festival since 2022 and has been working in Atlanta’s cultural scene long before that. With stints at ONE Musicfest, Idea Capital and Creative Currents, Odeleye has been a catalyst for Black diasporic art locally and internationally. She is also well known for having initiated the #MuteRKelly campaign in defense of women and girls victimized by R&B singer R. Kelly. Odeleye’s artistic activities are a study in making Black art accessible and visible on a global basis.
As part of an effort to help readers get to know members of Atlanta’s arts community better, we asked Odeleye to share 11 things on her mind. Here, in no particular order, are her 11 good things:
1. “Hollywood Shuffle.” I quote lines from this classic movie at least five times a week. The script is creative and laugh-out-loud hilarious, the actors are great, the collaboration between all of the then-up-and-coming comedians is inspiring, and the message is as timely now as it ever was. There is always work at the post office, people.
2. Aaron Pierre. I am obsessed with this man’s jawline. I want to bite his neck.
3. “South Side.” This is my go-to TV show when I’m working from home. It’s an underrated gem. I know every episode practically by heart. I love a good “inside voice” show that speaks to Black people without “othering” our experiences or explaining our inside jokes. I’m still mad it got canceled.
4. Baby Yams. My nephew William is my obsession. The absolute joy that babies bring into a family really can’t be overstated. He has expanded my heart’s capacity for love — and also terror. The world is a scary place once you’re seeing it through the lens of parenthood. I’ll fight anybody, anywhere, anytime, over that boy.
5. National Black Arts Festival. My days and nights are consumed with bringing this organization back to national prominence. It’s exhilarating to be both expanding upon such an important legacy and building something from scratch. It’s also exhausting. I’m tired.
6. Blk Alchemy. This Atlanta-based, Black woman-owned sensual wellness and beauty brand creates the silkiest body oils and moisturizing bars. I love the way the brand centers pleasure as an act of radical self-care and liberation. Healthy self-love and shared love should always be at the center of everything we do.
7. ONE Musicfest. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of one of the oldest Black-owned music festivals in the country. Sometimes, I wish people really knew how extremely hard it is to build and sustain a Black platform this large for this long. On the other hand, it’s a testament to our hard work that we make it look easy.
8. GloRilla. I’m always going to root for the “ghetto” Black girls to win. I love watching her and her “mursik” blow up.
9. Danielle Deadwyler. I served on the steering committee of Idea Capital when we awarded her with an artist grant years ago, and I’ve been immensely proud of her and her work ever since. The projects she creates, the scripts she chooses, the diversity of characters she portrays and the seriousness she shows her craft highlight how smart she is about her art and building her career. She’s an Atlanta gem.
10. Black Twitter. Evil billionaire aside, Twitter is still my fav platform for Black cultural critiques on any and everything. You cannot outdo us when it comes to humor and wit. I’m slowly migrating to Blue Sky, though, ‘cause America …
11. Nikki Giovanni. Losing such an important Black artist made me reflect on how important the Black Arts Movement artists were in the formation of my identity and worldview. The quote from her interview with James Baldwin, “Because I love you, I get the least of you” shifted my brain in ways I’m still wrestling with today. Her voice will be missed.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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