Bonita Oliver

Bonita Oliver (she/her) is a multidisciplinary performance artist, improviser and astrologer. Her work is about transitions–the process of moving through. She creates deeply emotional, body in space, concept art through voice, music, environmental soundscapes and movement. The motivation is to heal personal and ancestral trauma in order to make way for discovery and connection. Her process is in the moment and responds to stimuli–be they internal or external–through embodiment and interaction. Her live works exhibit this process in real time. Much of her subject matter highlights Black American experiences and often combines elements of spirituality and ritual. The motivation is to heal personal and ancestral trauma in order to make way for discovery and connection. Bonita (who also performs under the name of French Leave) is originally from Springfield, Massachusetts. She is an actress, award-winning filmmaker and member of SAG-AFTRA, ASCAP, NYWIFT, and WOCU. She is based in Harlem, NYC.

The David C. and Thelma G. Driskell Award for Creative Excellence, created in partnership with the University of Maryland’s Arts for All initiative, is designed to provide emerging scholars and artists with access to The Driskell Center’s collections in order to conduct new research or create new artistic work that furthers the Center’s mission of expanding and deepening the field of African diasporic studies in the visual arts.