VISUAL COMMUNICATOR

Jiba Molei Anderson is a 20+year veteran in the creative industries working as an illustrator, graphic designer, writer and educator. A Detroit native, Anderson graduated in 1994 from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Illustration and Photography, Mr. Anderson moved to Chicago, IL to pursue his 1998 Master's Degree in Visual Communication from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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In 1999, Anderson formed Griot Enterprises, a publishing company / visual communication studio and created its flagship property, The Horsemen. He is also the curator of the 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape anthology series, which focuses on independent comics from creators of color as well as maintaining The Afrosoul Chronicles, a blog about comics, pop culture, politics and race.

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Through Griot Enterprises, Anderson has had numerous one-man and group shows, art directed and published over 20 books including JBD: The Devil’s Due, The Dark Kingdom, Manifesto: The Tao of Jiba Molei Anderson and others. He has been invited to speak about his work and the representation of race and culture at various institutions including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Penn State Altoona, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Ohio State University.

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Anderson has been employed as a graphic designer, animator, art director and graphic novelist for educational institutions such as the University of Illinois - Chicago and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Anderson's animated projects include the music video Start a Fight for rock band The Ex-Senators (with Mark Rizzo Design) and The Song of Lionogo: An Indian Ocean Mythological Remix for the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (with Brightseed Collaborative). His work has also been featured in the Amazon Prime television series Utopia and the Apple+ film Swan Song starring Mahershala Ali.

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Anderson has also made an impact in the world of role - playing games contributing content to the World of Darkness franchise (Vampire: The Masquerade, Wraith: The Oblivion, Mage: The Ascension, Tales of Depravity and They Came from [CLASSIFIED]) for Onyx Path Publishing.

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In addition, Anderson has designed marketing collateral for a number of events at Chicago State University including Return to Blackness: The Gwendolyn Brooks Black Writers’ Conference as well as curating The Black Speculative Vision exhibition for Chicago State University in partnership with the Black Speculative Arts Movement (BASM). He also served as an illustrator and graphic designer for 2018 Chicago Mayoral Candidate Amara Enyia.

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In 2019, Anderson became the proud recipient of the Glyph Awards Lifetime Achievement/Pioneer Award for his work in the comic book industry through the East Coast of Black Age Comics convention. In addition, The Horsemen: Book of Olorun was part of the long-running exhibition Heroes: Principles of African Greatness at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and is a part of the museum’s permanent collection.

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Currently, Anderson is employed as a Part – Time Lecturer at Chicago State University and as a BDM Instructor at Computer Systems Institute - Skokie.