OBE for Lightbox Board Member
Professor Magdalene Odundo

Odundo is Professor of Ceramics at University College of the Creative Arts in Farnham, Surrey and a board member of The Lightbox gallery and museum in Woking, Surrey.

The award, for services to arts, recognises Odundo’s dedication to helping younger artists through her teaching as well as her commitment to projects such as The Lightbox.

The OBE follows the presentation to Odundo in January 2008 of an African Art Recognition Award by the Detroit Art Institute's Friends of African and African-American Art. This award recognised in particular her work with the British Council in establishing teaching exchanges between universities and art colleges in developing countries and their British equivalents.

“I am very enthusiastic about what I do and sharing my knowledge with others,” said Odundo. “In particular I am passionate about teaching young people and learning from their creativity. They really keep me going.”

Surrey Open Art Competition

As part of her promotion of artistic development, on Thursday 26 June Oduno will open the Surrey Open Art Exhibition 2008 at The Lightbox in Woking. The exhibition, which runs from 27 June until 10 August, is a showcase of the best entries to the Surrey Open Art Competition. It was established to encourage and promote artistic talent in the county. At the opening event Odundo will present the £500 Hutley Art Prize to the artist deemed by a panel of judges to have produced the best artwork.

Biography and art

Magdalene Odundo was born in Nairobi, Kenya and lived in India for part of her childhood. In 1973 she came to the UK to study graphic arts at West Surrey College of Art and Design. She taught for a period at the Commonwealth Institute in London before studying ceramics at the Royal College of Art. Her works have been shown widely in the USA and Europe.

Odundo's works are made from coiled earthenware with layers of clay slips and the surface heavily burnished before and after firing. She has a sense of form that clearly derives from, but does not imitate, African art, as her work demonstrates a clear knowledge of other cultures from classical Greco-Egyptian to pre-Columbian.

British honours

Are awarded on merit, for exceptional achievement or service. Anybody can recommend a British national for an honour, which consist of life peerages, knighthoods, appointments to the Order of the British Empire and gallantry awards to servicemen and women and civilians.

King George V in 1917 created Orders of the British Empire during World War I to reward services to the war effort by civilians at home and servicemen in support positions. The orders are now awarded mainly to civilians and service personnel for public service or other distinctions and has a military and a civil division. Ranks in the Order are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE) and Member (MBE).

To find out more about Magdalene Odundo’s work please visit her website at www.magdaleneodundo.com. To find out more about the Surrey Open Art Exhibition log onto www.thelightbox.org.uk.