In the News

Volunteer Spotlight - Timothy Orikri

From time to time, I like to highlight volunteers around southeastern Michigan who are doing things to empower our community. Most recently, Timothy Orikri graced a volunteer administration luncheon I attended with some fabulous paintings he created. Tim is an artist who not only creates multimedia art that inspires and fuels creativity but he is a dedicated volunteer who inspires the passion for art in children.
>> Read the entire blog post published Monday, October 6, 2008, on the SEMVOLUNTEERS blog by Tawanna Ward here.

YouTube Video by Leicanstyk Productions (Sherrus Gallery of Fine Art)

Candlelight vigil for MLK inspires wider appreciation
Nigerian artist Timothy Orikri, who lives now in Troy, spoke about his inspiration and work. Some of the artwork Orikri painted of King included full color on King's face but otherwise were not finished. "That's because his dream is incomplete," said Orikri.
>> Read the entire article published Monday, January 21, 2008, in the Oakland Press by Carol Hopkins here.

Love & compassion: Nigerian artist sharing his philosophy with children
"I was blown away by the imagery, the color and the energy of it," says A.J. Funchess, marketing director of the Detroit Public Library, where the Troy artist will display his work through March in "The Journey: Art, Aesthetics & Life."
>> Read the entire article published February 10, 2008, in the Oakland Press by Elizabeth H. Voss here.

Things We Love About the Artist
A "masterpiece" is a work of art that will impact the lives of the people it touches; it will leave a permanent and positive mark in the minds and hearts of those who witness its power. Relevance and responsiveness to present and future values will render a work of art immortal, as it eventually transcends its time and place to become a legacy for future generations. Few artists comprehend these concepts, and even fewer handle them with the success shown in Timothy Orikri's work.
>> Read the entire article written February 10, 2008, by Jorge Sanchez here.

Pyramid Scheme: Nigerian-born artist Timothy Orikri has a vision for St. Louis
"Timothy Orikri flips through the pages of what looks like an artist's portfolio but is, in truth, a life story. There are recent works: familiar St. Louis architecture transformed into prismatic fairy-tale streetscapes. There are older works: paintings of Senegal and of Orikri's native Nigeria, which he emigrated from nine years ago. He pauses longer on some -- the exhibit he created for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday; the African nativity scene created with the children of Pleasant Green Baptist Church; the muted colors of his tribute to his deceased brother, Dan. Orikri works most often on murals; the pieces of art, so dazzling on paper, are breathtaking in reality."
>> Read the entire article published March 10, 2004, in the Riverfront Times by Brooke Foster here.