(pronounced: ih-sheh-dah)
Yoruba to English Translation: creation
About us
Launched in 2020, ISE-DA is a mission-driven art advisory and media platform focused on the cultural stewardship of Black contemporary art. Through our advisory services, educational platform and events, and programming with partners, ISE-DA prioritizes cultural stewardship - the practice of taking responsibility for and preserving the value of cultural works. We aim to cultivate a pioneering generation of Black collectors invested in the social and financial growth of cultural hubs in Black communities. With the principles of Cultivation, Education, and Reimagination, ISE-DA takes a holistic approach to cultural stewardship and uses art collecting as a starting point to invest in and support the global development of Black cultural production. Our end goal? A connected community interested, invested in, and informed about art across the Diaspora.
Cultivation
Through our advisory services, ISE-DA aims to cultivate a pioneering generation of collectors invested in the social and financial growth of cultural hubs in Black communities. Our outreach includes targeting communities typically overlooked by the art industry but are eager to build collections and promote cultural stewardship.
Education
Our art advisory, events, and annual projects provide resources to learn about art collecting, the art market, and the cultural contexts of Black contemporary art.
Reimagination
ISE-DA uses art collecting as a starting point to reimagine the art ecosystem and art engagement. This includes experimenting with various exhibition formats, targeted cross-industry partnerships, and increasing the accessibility of Black cultural production
Team
Adefolakunmi (Fola) Adenugba
Founder and Art Advisor
Fola is a Nigerian arts professional who grew up in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States. Fola is the founder of ISE-DA and leads business development, strategy, and provides art advisory services for ISE-DA clients. She graduated with a Master of Arts in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York and completed her Bachelor of Business Administration with a double major in Art History at Emory University. Fola has previously worked in consulting and interned at art institutions such as the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. She has also worked at the Cheryl Hazan Gallery, James Cohan Gallery, krause.co communications, and at Meta (formerly Facebook) in New York. Fola has also served on the Approval Board and as a curator for Art on the Ave, having her co-curated exhibition featured on NBC. Fola was selected as a speaker for panels during Miami Art Week 2021, focused on supporting Black contemporary art and the importance of cultural stewardship across the diaspora.
Adeja Sterling
Client Relationship Specialist
Adeja Sterling graduated from Emory University in 2021 with a BA in Art History. After two years at the High Museum as a Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellow during her final two years at Emory, she furthered her education at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts as the Harriet Griffin Fellow. At NYU, she completed her MA in Art History with a concentration in Curatorial Studies and African American Modern and Contemporary art. She currently works for NYU Libraries as a Graduate Assistant, a Course Assistant for a graduate level course at the Institute of Fine Arts, and as a Gallery Associate at PALO Gallery. Adeja has previously held internships and positions at Atlanta's High Musem of Art, Emory’s *BLACKSTAR Magazine, Atlanta's ARTPAPERS Magazine, and Museum of Contemporary Art GA.
George Kofi Prah
Visual Design and Art Director
George is a graphic designer, illustrator and visual artist from Ghana, based in New York city. George leads visual design and art direction for ISE-DA. He is a senior designer at creative branding agency, Sibling Rivalry and also collaborates with friends on creative projects in his spare time. His design work has been featured in Graphis Magazine New Talent (2017) and the Indigo Design Awards (2018). His personal illustration work explores consciousness and the nuances of human connection, with each other and spirituality. Inspired by surrealism, sci-fi motives, psychology, everyday life and religion, his illustrations depict short vignettes into the worlds and minds of fascinating characters.