ISE-DA
ISE-DA • ìṣẹ̀dá
(pronounced: e-sheh-da)
Yoruba to English Translation: creation; origin; nature; good work
ABOUT US
ISE-DA™ (pronounced: e-sheh-da)
Launched in 2020, ISE-DA™ is a mission-driven art advisory 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 engaged and invested in sustaining contemporary Black art across the diaspora.
OUR VALUES
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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.
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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.
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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
ISE-DA New Collectors’ Program: Private Tour of Mark Bradford’s You Don’t Have To Tell Me Twice at Hauser & Wirth, July 2023
OUR 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. As the founder of ISE-DA™, she leads business development and strategy, strategic partnerships, and provides art advisory services for clients. Fola 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 concentration in Strategy & Consulting at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. She additionally completed a second major in Art History while studying at Emory’s College of Arts and Sciences. Fola has previously worked in consulting and worked 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) on their Open Arts team in New York.
Fola was selected for Forbes North America's 30 Under 30 Art & Style list for 2024. She has served on the Approval Board and as a curator for Art on the Ave, having her co-curated exhibition featured on NBC NY. She was selected as a speaker for panels focused on supporting Black contemporary art and the importance of cultural stewardship across the diaspora during Miami Art Week 2021 and has moderated multiple cross-national panels about global Black visual art. As a cultural partner for Carnegie Hall’s Afrofuturism festival, Fola was featured in PBS’ documentary covering the rise of Afrofuturism. She has guest lectured at the Rhode Island School of Design and at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
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.