Research Department
Brief info
Edwin Kwesi Bodjawah is a distinguished academic and artist, currently serving as a Professor and Head of the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He is also the Coordinator of the KNUST Museum. Holding a PhD in Painting and Sculpture, his academic journey spans decades. He has earlier degrees in fine arts and a robust history of leadership roles, including Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Art and Head of multiple departments.
Bodjawah’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in Ghanaian cultural traditions, enriched by contemporary global perspectives. Early in his career, he gained recognition for his genre scenes reflecting urban African life, employing techniques like antique-finish cold cast for his sculptures. A transformative period in his work emerged after engaging with contemporary art discourse, leading him to repurpose materials and objects with significant socio-cultural histories. His pieces often critique colonial and economic legacies, exploring themes of identity and heritage.
As an educator and mentor, Bodjawah has been instrumental in shaping Ghana's artistic landscape. He co-founded blaxTARLINES, an art incubator affiliated with KNUST, which fosters collaboration between artists, institutions, and the global art community. His efforts have enhanced the visibility and development of fine art education and practice locally and internationally, including partnerships with organizations like the Tate Modern, Smithsonian Institution, and Bamako Biennale.
Bodjawah is also a prolific writer and researcher, contributing extensively to art history, contemporary art, and education. His works have been showcased in prominent exhibitions, such as Silence Speaks and Queens and Kings: Asante. In addition to his artistic achievements, he has served as an advisor and collaborator for numerous cultural and academic initiatives. His dedication to art and education continues to inspire a new generation of artists and academics globally.
In 2007, Dr. Owusu-Ansah was appointed as one of two special assistants to the president for diversity at James Madison University. He later transitioned to become the executive director for faculty access and inclusion, the inaugural associate provost for diversity (2018-2022) and now the executive director for access and educational outreach. The summer abroad program in Ghana that he founded for his American students in 1996 was the first at James Madison University on the African continent. Sustained in partnerships with the Language Center at the University of Ghana, Dr. Owusu-Ansah equally relies on visits to Museums and Heritage Centers as course contexts for his students’ engagement in Ghana.
In the areas of research and scholarship, Dr. Owusu-Ansah is known for his work on Islam. His Talismanic Traditions in Nineteenth Century Asante (1991), and the co-authored Islamic Learning, the State, and the Challenges of Education in Ghana (2013, with Mark Sey and Abdulai Iddrisu) are well-cited. He is also the author of the second, third and fourth editions of the Historical Dictionary of Ghana (1995, 2005, and 2014). The fifth edition of was co-authored with Professor Edmund Abeka (University of Miami) in 2024. His most recent published articles include the piece on the first British Consul to Kumasi in 1919, Joseph Dupuis. The essay on religious knowledge and political power in Asante, co-authored with Professor Emmanuel Akyeampong at Harvard, is in the March 2022 issue of the Journal of West African History. Dr. Owusu-Ansah continues to be active as a scholar and an academic advisory team member to the Sanneh Institute for Engaging Church and Mosque Relations in West Africa based in Accra, Ghana.