Lost and Found
Watercolor and pen on paper

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My full name is Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele Sedita. Most friends simply call me Ade. I am a Nigerian-American architect/artist (of Yoruba lineage) interested in improving the urban condition. Although born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, I have lived and studied in several places. Formally, these places are Lagos (formal capital of Nigeria), New York City, Jersey City and finally, Newark, New Jersey. In the latter, I graduated with a B.S. in Architecture from the New Jersey School of Architecture at NJIT. Informal learning has taken place in Toronto, Helsinki, San Francisco, Chicago, Amsterdam, London, and various parts of Sicily (Agrigento, Taormina, Palermo, and Monreale), among others.

I have been actively involved in the building industry, working with landscape designers, architects, contractors and developers, for over a decade. This combination of experiences has revealed the broad scope and complexity of the urban system. Upon more research I became concerned with how culture, politics and economics affected cities. In 2004, I volunteered as an Urban Policy Research Intern at the grassroots organization, Newark Now, while preparing for full-time graduate study in the social sciences (PhD in Urban Systems). I also renewed my childhood interest in visual art – one of the most instinctive processes human beings use to learn about or “see” their environment. The results that stem from combining rational and imaginative learning are immeasurable, yet highly fruitful.

Leaning on the foundations of my elders, especially Prof. (Chief) E. A. Tugbiyele, and with loosely-structured guidance from my mentor and friend of eight years, David Hawk, PhD, I have been able to navigate through a sea of different personalities and circumstances. In the process I have learned a great deal about society and how it has evolved over time. My chief concern today lies in the improvement of the urban environment, while paying close attention to the role of aesthetics in knowledge building.

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