Born and raised in Edo State, Dr. Simeon Ijoye Athekamhe is a well known and respected Nigerian artist and lecturer. He attended Edo College in Benin City in Edo State for his secondary education. He also holds a Higher National Diploma, a Master of Fine Arts, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Benin. He has worked for about thirty years at Auchi Polytechnic in the Department of Painting and General Art at the School of Art and Design where he taught drawing, painting, and art history. He is the current Chairman of the Society of Nigerian Artists.
Dr. Simeon has enjoyed a successful academic career at Auchi Polytechnic. Beginning in 1990, he was the Head of Department at the Painting and General Art Department twice and the Dean of the School of Art & Design between 2008 and 2010.
Currently, he is a Chief Lecturer in the same department. He has also served in various academic institutions outside Auchi polytechnic, taking on numerous roles including Resource person at the NBTE-National Board for Technical Education; Member of the Accreditation Team to Ibadan Polytechnic in 2006; External Examiner to Federal Polytechnic of Oko in Anambra State and Delta State Polytechnic in Ogwashi-Ukwu , amongst others. He has presented papers at National and International Conferences and Seminars, with several publications to his credit including a book called An Introduction to Art History, published in 2008.
Dr. Simeon has also enjoyed a successful art career, with two solo exhibitions and over thirty group exhibitions to his name. At Auchi Polytechnic, he has served as the Chairman of the School’s Exhibition Committee; the first Curator of the ultramodern Art-Gallery of the School of Art & Design, and he has also presided over the first-ever Auchi Artists Convention 2004. In addition to being a part of the Society of Nigerian Artists he also belongs to several other professional bodies such as PACA, ACA and AAN, among others.
