Ademola Olugebefola is a founding member of the WEUSI Artist Collective, established in 1965, and served as the first Education Director of the WEUSI Academy of African Arts and Studies in 1969. A respected Harlem artist, cultural activist, and educator, his work reflects a lifelong engagement with the relationship between sound, color, form, and African-centered artistic expression.
 

Olugebefola began his professional career as a bassist, performing with ensembles throughout the New York metropolitan area in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His musical studies, including work with renowned bassist Attila Zoller, deeply informed his visual practice. He has spoken of experiencing color while hearing certain musical notes, an insight that led him to explore the sensory relationship between music and painting. This inquiry found expression in works such as the “Blues for Nat Turner Jazz Suite” and in experimental collaborations through POMUSICART, where poetry, music, and visual art came together in innovative performance.
 

For more than four decades, Olugebefola has lived and worked in Harlem. His art and career papers are held in major collections, including the Schomburg Center, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Hatch-Billops Archives, and Howard University. His work is represented in numerous private and institutional collections in the United States and abroad.

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