“When a woman says yes, her Chi also says yes” — Ibo Proverb

Monben is an award-winning multi-media artist, poet, scholar, teacher, and anthropologist. She began her career as a painter in 2015, and has since completed over 30 art commissions & projects. Her work has been featured in displayed in Paul Vincent Studios, Seed Gallery, Macy Art Gallery, Columbia University, the Newark Arts Festival, and elsewhere.

Monben received a Bachelor of Arts in African and African American Studies from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and a Master of Arts in Anthropology and Education from Columbia University. Her portfolio and resume are comprised of projects which bridge art, history, and storytelling; and, using art as a means of public an cultural education is the main focus of her work. Monben is from Newark, New Jersey and was born in Monrovia, Liberia. She is of Bassa and Gbande descent.

ARTIST STATEMENT

During her first public art exhibit at the Paul Vincent Studios in Hoboken in 2015, Monben was asked why she made art, and she responded: to highlight the lives of those who are often forgotten in history. In many ways, the bold statement she made to the audience of over 100 at just sixteen years old proved to be a prophecy. Monben’s art depicts vibrant scenes of Black life and/or imagination. Her depictive work is an extension of her practice as a medium, and her approach to crafting art is spirit-focused—many of her subjects being imagined or real ancestors of the African American diaspora. Her artistic catalog heavily features self-portraiture, reflecting her inalienable connection to both personal and broader African diasporic histories.

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, she is of Gbande and Bassa descent and emerges from a long line of market-people (traders), textile designers, potters, spiritualists, and other artisans. She regards her artistic practice as an ongoing form of ancestor veneration.

AWARDS & HONORS

Myers Foundation Art Commission Award, Gottesman Libraries,  March 2022                                              

Margaret Mead Scholarship, Teachers College – Columbia University, September 2021                          

Summa Cum Laude, Rutgers, the Sate University of New Jersey, May 2021                                          

School of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Award, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, May 2021                   

W.A. Jean Pierre Award of Excellence, Dept. African American & African Studies @ Rutgers, May 2021

Eva R. Cohn Scholarship, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, September 2021

Guest Research Scholar, University of Delaware’s Anti-racism Initiative, June 2020

Ronald E. McNair Scholar, January 2020

Panelist, Mars-Wrigley’s “New Work in Newark” Conference, November 2019

Toast to a Queen Community Service Award, Black Organization of Students, March 2018

Education

M.A. Anthropology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University

B.A. African and African American Studies, double minor in Psychology; Public and Non-Profit Administration, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey