Advisory · Consulting · Speaking
I bring decades of scholarship, executive consulting, and curatorial practice to bear on a single question: how do you build something genuinely beautiful — a collection, a culture, a life, a brand — with intention?
Who I Work With
Not every engagement is right for both of us. Here is an honest picture of who I work with — and who gets the most from this.
You are building or deepening a collection of African and diasporic art and want someone who knows the work, the artists, the market, and the cultural weight behind each acquisition. You understand that what you bring into your home changes you. You want to do this right.
You lead an organization — a Fortune 500 company, a cultural institution, a brand — and you need someone who can translate between the world of African and diasporic culture and the world you operate in, without flattening either. You are building something that is meant to last, and you want a thought partner who has the scholarship and the strategic depth to match.
You have come to a moment in your life where you want to build more intentionally — your space, your relationships, your acquisitions, the quality of your daily experience. You are not looking for a life coach. You are looking for someone with a genuine philosophical framework and the cultural depth to apply it to your actual life.
You are an institution, a foundation, a brand, or an individual who wants to engage meaningfully with African and diasporic aesthetics — not as a trend, not as optics, but as a genuine cultural commitment. You understand that the transaction done rightly is a sign of respect, and you want guidance on how to do it rightly.
You are programming a conference, panel, summit, or event and need a speaker who brings genuine intellectual weight, cross-disciplinary range, and the ability to make complex ideas feel essential rather than academic. I speak on African aesthetics, diasporic culture, intentional living, the philosophy of pleasure, and the art market — always with a point of view.
What I Offer
Each engagement is shaped by your specific situation. These are the primary forms my work takes — and most serious engagements draw from more than one.
I help collectors at every stage — first-time buyers and seasoned collectors alike — build African and diasporic art collections that are aesthetically cohesive, culturally grounded, and personally meaningful. This is not about market value alone. It is about what the work will do in your life.
A structured engagement applying the Ori framework — aesthetics as mindful practice, pleasure through intention — to your actual life. We work across your space, your daily practices, your relationships, your acquisitions, and your inner life to build an environment that genuinely nourishes you.
For organizations that want to engage meaningfully with African and diasporic culture — in their collections, their programming, their brand strategy, or their leadership culture. I bring scholarship, strategic depth, and the kind of cultural fluency that takes decades to build.
I speak at conferences, institutions, brand events, and panels on topics at the intersection of African and diasporic aesthetics, the philosophy of pleasure, intentional living, and the global art market. My talks are built around a genuine point of view — never a survey, always an argument.
Not sure which engagement is right for you?
The first conversation is always free.
How It Works
Every engagement begins with a conversation. I do not take on clients I cannot serve well — so the first step is always about fit, not commitment. Here is what to expect.
Fill out the form below with your situation and what you’re hoping to accomplish. Be specific — the more you tell me, the better I can assess whether I’m the right person for this.
A 30-minute conversation — no cost, no commitment. I want to understand your situation fully before I propose anything. This is also how you learn whether my approach is right for you.
If we are a good fit, I will send a clear proposal: scope, structure, and investment. For most personal engagements this arrives within 48 hours. Institutional proposals may take longer.
We begin. Every engagement is different but all of them are built on the same thing: rigorous thinking, honest counsel, and the depth of scholarship and experience I have spent a lifetime building.
Honest About Fit
I say this with respect. The people who get the most from working with me share certain qualities — and certain things make an engagement difficult for both of us.
Kemi doesn’t just know the work — she knows what the work is doing. Working with her changed how I think about everything I own.
She brought a level of cultural rigor to our programming that we had been searching for for years. Not a consultant. A genuine thought partner.
The Ori framework gave me a language for something I had always felt but never been able to articulate. My home, my habits, my relationships — everything shifted.
Names withheld at clients’ request.
Begin Here
Fill out the form and I will be in touch within two business days. The first conversation is always free — it is how we find out together whether this is the right engagement.