BIO
Bright Kontor Osei, born in 1993 in Sunyani, Ghana, is a contemporary artist residing and working in Athens, Ohio, U.S.A. Osei is trained as an artist, educator, and art administrator with a strong foundation in art history and earned his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Painting and Drawing at Ohio University’s School of Art + Design in 2024.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from the University of Education Winneba, Ghana, with First Class honors in 2018. Osei creates portraits and text paintings of street people from Ghana using charcoal, lightfast acrylic paints, Ankara fabrics, and gold leaf on paper and canvas to address issues of marginalization in our contemporary times.
Osei has exhibited his work at the Ohio University Art Gallery in Athens, Ohio, and at the Columbus Printed Arts Center in Columbus, Ohio. He is nominated for the 2024 Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship, showcasing his commitment and extensive research in the Fine Arts. His dedicated efforts earned him the prestigious Student Enhancement Award in 2023, a recognition bestowed upon students at Ohio University doing exceptional research.
He received national attention when his work earned the first-place exhibition award for the International MFA annual online art exhibition, Daydreams: 2023, a juried show organized by the University of Montana and Montana State University. This recognition came among nearly 700 submissions from half of the MFA programs in North America and entries from five different countries. The College of Fine Arts honored Osei with the Fine Arts Transformation Award, and the School of Art + Design granted him the Graduate Recruitment Scholarship and a Graduate Assistantship spanning from 2021 to 2024.
He has rich teaching experience from Ohio University and Ghana and features in reputable private and public collections.
CV
Born in 1993 in Sunyani, Ghana
Resides and works in Athens, Ohio
EDUCATION
Master of Fine Arts, Painting + Drawing, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 2024
Faculty Mentors: David LaPalombara and John Sabraw
Bachelor of Arts, Art Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, 2018
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Isaac Aboagye
CERTIFICATES
Visual Arts Management Certificate, Ohio University, 2024
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Certificate, Social and Behavioral Investigators, and Key Personnel Basic, Ohio University, 2023
Online Facilitator Course Certificate, Ohio University, 2022
Woodshop Training Certificate, Ohio University, 2021
AWARDS AND HONORS
Three Minutes Thesis People’s Choice Award, Ohio University, 2024
Three Minutes Thesis Third Place Award, Ohio University, 2024
Three Minutes Thesis Finalist, Ohio University, 2024
Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship Nominee, 2024
First Place Award for Daydreams, International MFA Annual Online Exhibition, juried by University of Montana and Montana State University, 2023
$6000 Student Enhancement Award (Research Grant), Ohio University, 2023
Fine Arts Transformation Award, Ohio University, 2022
Graduate Recruitment Scholarship, Ohio University, 2021 to 2024
Graduate Assistantship, Ohio University, 2021 to 2024
Artist of the Year, University of Education (Art Education Department), Winneba, Ghana, 2018
ACADEMIC TEACHING EXPERIENCE (Instructor-of-Record)
Description and Drawing, Ohio University, 2024
This course introduces drawing and other descriptive processes as an expansive practice and a means for developing perceptual and conceptual thinking skills. Various methods of image-making, three-dimensional modeling, and data mapping will be used as tools for observation and expression. Through broad, hands-on exposure to materials and methods, we will develop expressive, communicative, and analytical capabilities.
Figure Drawing, Ohio University, 2023
Introduces topical/thematic approaches to art-making emphasizing single and multi- (and/or inter-) disciplinarity. Students will research and address topical or media-specific concerns through scholarly and studio approaches. Offers experiences in the most current topics/themes in the professional practice of art.
Figure Drawing, Ohio University, 2023
Creative Art, Kenzy Fashion Institute, Sunyani, Ghana, 2019 to 2021
Introduces fashion students to the concept of design in art, as well as the similarities and overlaps between fine art and the fashion industry. Color theory is investigated in addition to illustration designs, and it is applied to sewing and clothing making.
Graphic Design, National Service Personnel at Don Bosco Technical Institute, Odumase, Ghana, 2018 to 2019
Introduces the design elements and principles as a concept in graphic design, as well as how students can apply that knowledge to manually generate visual communication materials. Lettering and its history are also taught to help students develop fine pen lettering skills, which are useful in manually generated graphic design.
Graphic Design, Intern at Don Bosco Technical Institute, Odumase, Ghana, 2017
ACADEMIC TEACHING EXPERIENCE (Teaching Assistant)
Art and Hip Hop (Online Art Class), Ohio University, (assisted John Sabraw), 2024
Hip Hop culture has profoundly influenced art since the 1970s. Hip Hop has given voice to new art forms and new approaches to existing artistic practices. Its underlying concepts have been adopted worldwide into art unique to diverse geographic and cultural locales. Art and Hip Hop will explore this phenomenon within the context of traditional and contemporary art; polyculturalism and multiculturalism; activism and politics; and gender and race.
Function and Practice (Online Art Class), Ohio University, (assisted Basil Masri Zada), 2023
In this course, students will investigate modes of creative research and methodologies of art and designs to inform and expand their own practice. Students will transform their concepts and design through tool explorations, shifting modalities, application of technologies, and material experimentation. Through a range of exercises, this course will explore the physical, metaphorical, and cultural significance of art + design’s function in society.
Art and Hip Hop (Online Art Class), Ohio University (assisted John Sabraw), 2023
Art and Hip Hop (Online Art Class), Ohio University (assisted John Sabraw), 2022
Figure Drawing, Ohio University, (assisted Reiker Q. Dean), 2022
Introduces topical/thematic approaches to art-making emphasizing single and multi- (and/or inter-) disciplinarity. Students will research and address topical or media-specific concerns through scholarly and studio approaches. Offers experiences in the most current topics/themes in the professional practice of art.
Figure Drawing, Ohio University (assisted Kelly Hanning), 2021
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024
Thesis Exhibition, People of Ghana, Ohio University Art Gallery, Athens, Ohio, 2024
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024
Retro-Spective, Sed Gallery, Chauncey, Ohio, 2024
2023
Daydreams, International MFA Annual Online Exhibition, juried by University of Montana and Montana State University, https://mfaexhibitiononline.org/, 2023
2022
Still Uncertain, Ohio University Art Gallery, Athens, Ohio, 2022
Why is it so well, Columbus Printed Arts Center, Columbus, Ohio, 2022
Notable Uncertainties, Ohio University Art Gallery, Athens, Ohio, 2022
2018
Artsoc Week celebration art exhibition, Art Education Department, Winneba, Ghana, 2018
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nicole Bowman-Layton. “ ‘People of Ghana’ Exhibit.” The Athens Messenger, March 9, 2024.
“People of Ghana” | MFA Thesis Exhibition.” Ohio University. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://calendar.ohio.edu/event/people_of_ghana_mfa_thesis_exhibition
“MFA Thesis Exhibition, “People of Ghana” Honors the Marginalized.” The Athens News, accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.athensnews.com/calendar/arts/mfa-thesis-exhibition-people-of-ghana-honors-the-marginalized/event_1791ae6a-cc9a-11ee-a6bd-5763958181b4.html
Dolbashian, Aidan. “Fruits and Vegetables: Drawing by Bright Kontor Osei.” New Ohio Review, November 26, 2022. https://newohioreview.org/2022/11/26/fruits-and-vegetables-by-bright-kontor-osei/.
“A Black Star of Repute Kofi Annan.” Politics and Power Magazine: Media Obed Limited First Edition, September – October 2018.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
College of Business, Ohio University, (Official Pencil Portraits of President Dr. Hugh Sherman, and Beatrice Selotlegeng)
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Lisa Quinn, Kennedy Museum of Art Registrar, Athens, Ohio.
Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony-Afful Broni, Former Vice Chancelor, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
CONFERENCES/PRESENTATIONS/LECTURES
The Ohio University Student Research and Creative Activity Expo, The Convocation Center, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 2024
Research Presentation, Holden Visual Arts Center and Studios Auditorium, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, 2024
Artist Talk, MFA Thesis Exhibition: People of Ghana, Ohio University Art Gallery, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 2024
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Graduate Studio Liaison, School of Art + Design, Ohio University, 2023 – 2024
Manages the organization of the tool room and conducts inventory assessments on a semester basis. Assumes responsibility for overseeing the safety of art supplies and storage areas. Maintains cleanliness and order in kitchenette spaces, monitors the flammable cabinet, and facilitates the removal of large furniture pieces.
Studio Maintenance, Painting + Drawing Area, Ohio University, 2023-2024
Maintains cleanliness and organization of shared studio spaces in the Painting + Drawing department
Model Coordinator, School of Art + Design, Ohio University, 2022 - 2024
Schedule and coordinate modeling sessions for all School of Art + Design studio courses.
Equipment Checkout Manager, School of Art + Design, Ohio University, 2021 - 2024
Organizes and maintains the conditions of the CreateSpace Central checkout, as well as manages the inventory and check out equipment for students' research.
LANGUAGES
Speaks and reads fluent English.
Speaks and reads fluent Asante Twi.