When Chinedum Evans Ewe’s student exhibition collapsed in 2020, he did what most architects would consider unthinkable: he stopped thinking of buildings as static structures. He began treating them as living organisms with nervous systems.
That conceptual shift became the foundation of Art In Heart Gallery Ltd. This Nigerian creative social enterprise has earned a 2026 Global Recognition Award for work that bridges architecture, technology, and community development. The organization operates from Abuja, where Evans, an architect and Doctor in Business Administration from the Swiss International Management Academy, and his team have turned what began as a failed gallery into a model for how creative practice can address social challenges across Africa.
The recognition reflects measurable achievements in innovation and community impact, particularly through programs that have generated economic opportunities for artists and strengthened community identity across Nigeria. Art In Heart’s approach differs from conventional cultural institutions by combining volunteerism, partnerships, and enterprise frameworks that prioritize sustainability over dependency.
Buildings As Responsive Systems
Central to Art In Heart’s work is AfaSense, an artificial intelligence-enabled concept that reimagines facilities management by treating buildings as responsive systems connected to human wellbeing and environmental health. The framework draws on African epistemology, where biology, spirituality, and technology interconnect in ways that challenge Western architectural theory.
Evans developed this approach through research in architecture, leadership theory, and quantum concepts, producing three books, including Creative Rebirth and Creative Decay, as well as Vibrational Architecture Theory, which explores how the built and unbuilt environments influence human consciousness and behavior. The latter has garnered significant readership internationally and among select Nigerian audiences. He presented these ideas in a 2023 TEDx Talk at Baze University, creating a platform for African-led innovation in architectural practice.
The organization’s team includes specialists in legal policy, content creation, brand strategy, and monitoring and evaluation, enabling systematic impact assessment across multiple domains. This structure allows Art In Heart to maintain operational standards while expanding its reach beyond traditional gallery functions.
Measurable Community Outcomes
Art In Heart’s programs have produced documented results in creative participation, skills transfer, and economic development for emerging artists and underserved communities. The organization delivers exhibitions, workshops, and cultural interventions designed to create sustainable pathways for artistic and professional development rather than short-term charitable impact.
Evans’s leadership extends to mentoring architects and young leaders who approach creativity as a tool for policy influence. The organization’s values emphasize artist empowerment, community building, and innovation through technologies that increase accessibility while preserving Art’s capacity to affect social change.
This positioning aligns Art In Heart with broader movements across Africa where creative industries are increasingly recognized as drivers of economic growth and social cohesion. The enterprise has developed a hybrid scholarly and poetic methodology that expands how research applies to community-centered design principles.
African-Centered Innovation At Scale
The organization’s intellectual property portfolio, including concepts related to AfaSense, combined with adoption rates and user feedback from community programs, set it apart from other applicants for global recognition. Shortlisted candidates were evaluated using the Rasch model, which creates linear measurement scales allowing precise comparisons across different areas of excellence.
Art In Heart achieved high ratings across the innovation criteria, particularly for originality, intellectual property development, and the capacity to address challenges, including sustainability, wellbeing, and inclusive growth. The organization’s work has attracted international attention through publications and cross-sector collaborations while maintaining its African-rooted approach.
As Art In Heart continues developing AfaSense and expanding its programs, the enterprise demonstrates how cultural institutions can function as infrastructure for social change, a model with implications far beyond Nigeria’s borders for organizations seeking to leverage creative practice for measurable community impact.
