Bámigbóyè: A Master Sculptor of the Yorùbá Tradition at Yale University Art Gallery

Bámigbóyè: A Master Sculptor of the Yorùbá Tradition is an exhibition curated by James Green at the Yale University Art Gallery, which celebrates Nigerian artist Moshood Olúṣọmọ Bámigbóyè (ca. 1885–1975), a Yorùbá woodcarver regarded for his intricately crafted sculptures and ceremonial masks. Exhibition graphics designed by Chris Chew.

The medium-to-heavy weight range of the variable typeface Job Clarendon by David Jonathan Ross and Bethany Heck echoes formal elements of prominent works in the exhibition. Similarities can be drawn between Bámigbóyè’s sculptures depicting multiple figures connected by a sturdy, flat base and the letterforms composed of strokes grounded by sturdy slab-serifs, particularly when the “connected serifs” stylistic set is employed. Job Clarendon’s woodtype origins also link the typeface to the artist’s craft.

Archivo was chosen as the secondary typeface due to the proportional similarities when using a narrow variant.