Rowland O. Abiodun, b. 1941, earned his B.A. in Fine Arts in 1965 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, and his M.A. in Art History from the University of Toronto. Born in Owo Nigeria, Abiodun has written extensively about the body of art produced by the Yoruba people of modern-day Nigeria and Benin. Abiodun is the John C. Newton Professor of Art, the History of Art, and Black Studies at Amherst College. He has served as a director of the African Studies Association.