Weekend Lessons from Grinnell College
- Anthony Nsofor
- Nov 9
- 3 min read
The time preparing for the relocation of my studio from the Torpedo Factory Art Center back to Lagos has distracted me from sharing the beautiful memories of an epic moment in my stay in the United States of America. Through the purchase and donation of 2 of my paintings by Steve Howell, I was connected to this outpost university that seems so much like the America of many migrants’ dreams. The purchase led to an invitation from the university to a conversation and participation in the programs for the Grinnell College Black Alumni Weekend. I enjoyed participating. My Instagram post on the weekend has become the most viewed content. Everyone asked what I was going to do in Iowa, the corn state. I found ideas to treasure- a quiet, inclusive community that still takes the acronym DEI seriously.
I was blown away to learn that professors are free to create new courses, and visited the Grinnell Museum of Art, which continues to run thought-provoking shows to inspire the student community.
Generous endowments received from private donors support the College in running programs independent of the censorship attached to recent government funding. I learned the story of Edith Renfrow Smith, the still-strong 111-year-old who was the first African American woman to graduate from the school. The hall that bears her name has 2 of my paintings hanging there. The Edith Renfrow Smith Hall is the Katherine Howell Weingart ’61 Civic Innovation Pavilion, designed by the Ghanaian/British architect Sir David Adjaye, OBE.
It will take too much time to list out all the names of the people who made this weekend amazing- from Adam, Susan, Bernardine, Ope, the lecturers, my friend Joy, who flew in to join the conversations, and many other alumni I got connected to. Special thanks go to Anna F. Harris, the president of Grinnell College, and her husband, who hosted me. I was invited for a cocktail at their home. We discussed histories, storytelling, the importance of museums, and how objects are presented to the public. We also talked about brutalist art.
These people have all become part of my family. Thank you, Grinnell College, for hosting me. Thank you, Black Alumni of Grinnell College, for all the activities and insightful panel conversations.
During a panel discussion by the Black alumni, one of the panelists raised a point that stuck with me- strong alumni make a strong university! The real power of the university lies in the ways alumni become a supportive umbrella for the institution’s traditional values. This is the difference between universities, not necessarily in their curriculum. What makes any university special is how alumni continue to engage and support their schools as they grow in their chosen careers. Alumni helping each other out, mentoring and encouraging undergraduate students, and supporting the school allow the institution to pursue its excellence goals independently, immune from external political pressures like those faced by many universities here in the USA.
Grinnell reminds me of my beloved Nsukka in its tranquility. That place is surrounded by farmlands and scenic landscapes glowing in the sun, far from the distracting daily noise of modern cities. One can walk through all the streets of Grinnell in 2 hours. Grinnell College aspires to remain that citadel of wisdom, where innovation, inspiration, and human dignity are enshrined. Congratulations to the Grinnell College Black Alumni for a delightful weekend of learning, sharing, and caring. These reconnections are the best ways to stay on the path and grow in excellence. I am taking the lessons from that short weekend in Grinnell back to Nsukka, my alma mater. I am joining the alumni association.
Thank you, Anthony. Hope you’re having a wonderful homecoming. Chris Cardellino