Loyola Marymount University’s Laband Art Gallery presents the first institutional exhibition to shine a light on the extraordinary and underrecognized career of Noni Olabisi (1954 -2022), an artist and muralist whose works have become defining centerpieces in neighborhoods and communities in South Los Angeles. “Noni Olabisi: When Lightning Strikes” opens Thursday, Jan. 29, and continues through Saturday, March 28, 2026. A free public opening reception will be held Saturday, Feb. 7, from 1 to 3 p.m.
“Noni Olabisi: When Lightning Strikes” includes more than 40 works created from 1984 to 2022 that honor Olabisi’s remarkable work as an artist, muralist, and mentor. Olabisi is known for her bold and daring public artworks, in particular three superlative murals in Los Angeles: “Freedom Won’t Wait” (1992); “To Protect and Serve” (1995); and “Troubled Island” (2003). What unites all her work — whether writ large on a concrete wall or rendered on canvas — is Olabisi’s lifelong commitment to telling truthful stories of contemporary Black people as well as their forebears. Indeed, she possessed a deep sense of pride in Black identity and infused her portraits ranging from Black leaders like Malcolm X to her beloved son, Oronde, and grandson, Jabari, with hope, dignity and joy.
Equally powerful was Olabisi’s desire to confront past and current conditions of racism affecting Black people through her art, especially when creating work for the public sphere. She found her calling in her very first public commission (“Freedom Won’t Wait” 1992) when she proposed to fill the entirety of a large concrete wall in South Los Angeles with vivid scenes depicting the contemporaneous trauma and anguish experienced by Black residents during the 1992 urban uprising in Los Angeles. Here, Olabisi’s visual language is as stunningly alive and passionate as it is painful. At the time, Olabisi spoke about how she wanted to “make the wall scream,” indeed, to this day, her epic portrayal gives fervent voice and visibility to disenfranchised members of the community.
The title of the exhibition — “When Lightning Strikes” — can be understood as a recognition of the everyday miracles Olabisi experienced and celebrated in her life as well as the hardship she suffered, particularly in childhood. Olabisi regarded her life’s path and, especially, her artistic talent as emblematic of a higher calling. In addition to her defining use of bold red and black in her artwork as well as depictions of hands, birth, and seeds of renewal, Olabisi is most known for the yellow dot she nearly always positioned on her subjects’ foreheads. In her artist statement, Olabisi shared, “The yellow dot in almost everything I paint is a representation of the sun … It is the giver of life and reflects our inner light and connectedness. As an artist, my intention is to create artwork that speaks to the heart and soul of mankind, invoking self-examination. I believe my art provides a journey that leads us to the discovery of the one thing we have in common, light!”
In 2022, while wrapping up her first-ever artist residency at the Arts at Blue Roof in South Los Angeles, Noni Olabisi died unexpectedly. The work that she made at Blue Roof constituted a personal breakthrough, and selections of these paintings are included in this show. As is the case throughout her career, Olabisi fully believed in her own personal mission even while she wasn’t seeking accolades. This exhibition seeks to give the artist much deserved recognition and honor how Olabisi moved through the world, striking a critically minded and heart-centered balance that was uniquely her own.
Olabisi was born in St. Louis in 1954, lived for a few years in Arkansas, then moved to Los Angeles, where she made her definitive home for close to 60 years. She attended Horace Mann Middle School and George Washington High School, and earned her associate of arts degree from Los Angeles Southwest College in 1976. Considering herself a mostly self-taught artist, she was an active member of the city’s tight-knit circle of Black artists, participated in more than 50 group exhibitions at significant cultural organizations, and was the recipient of a California Community Foundation Artist Fellowship. Her public murals have become defining centerpieces in neighborhoods and communities in South L.A. In addition to her part-time employment as a professional barber, she was sustained through many collaborations with organizations including the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), the city of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Metro Art Los Angeles, Self Help Graphics & Art, and L.A. Commons, among others.
“Noni Olabisi: When Lightning Strikes” is supported in part by a BIPOC grant from LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts (CFA), which supports CFA’s dedication to fostering diverse representation in curriculum and programming. The exhibition also reflects the mission of LMU’s Inclusive History and Images Project (IHIP), which advances the university’s commitment to illuminate untold stories of diverse lived experiences, both on the campus and beyond. CFA Dean Bryant Keith Alexander also serves as the co-chair of IHIP along with university Chancellor Michael Engh, S.J.
