The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City, Nigeria, has announced a three-year, $3 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help transform arts management and education in West Africa.

The grant will fund projects and initiatives such as the enhancement of the MOWAA Institute’s arts management and conservation services; residencies and commissions for upcoming and under-represented artists; expanded work in archaeology and heritage management focused on participatory approaches to protecting Nigeria’s earthen architecture; and skills development and outreach programs to bolster traditional crafts and integrate within Nigeria's contemporary art scene.

“The Mellon Foundation’s support will be instrumental in establishing MOWAA as a regional center of excellence in heritage research, management, and conservation,” said MOWAA Institute director Ore Disu. “Our goal is to reposition the cultural sector as a viable space for practitioners across borders and to reignite a thriving cultural scene, recentering Benin City as a place of creativity, innovation, and knowledge exchanges.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Museum of West African Art)