Nnenna Okore (PhD) is a Professor at Chicago’s North Park University. Straddling art, research, and teaching, Okore engages ecological problems through her arts-based participatory practice. As an internationally acclaimed artist, Okore has been involved in numerous environmental art projects and exhibitions designed to produce research, dialogue, and artmaking about current waste issues. Largely deriving inspiration from her natural surroundings, Okore creates delicate works of art using biodegradable materials like bioplastics, cheesecloth, and fibers to engender awareness about sustainable practices in the art field.

Nnenna Okore has a B.A. from the University of Nigeria, an MA and MFA from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. from Monash University. Added to numerous national and international awards, Okore is a recipient of the Fulbright Scholar Award and Creative Victoria Creators Fund. Her works and public art have been featured in major venues, such as the Museum of Art and Design, NY; Spelman Museum of Fine Art, Museu Afro Brasil, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, the Bruges Triennial, the Chengdu International Biennial, Moody Center of Art, Bradbury Art Museum, and more recently at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art.