Widely exhibited artist Maduna passes at 66

Serghino René

Sculptor Vusumuzi Maduna, formally known as Dennis James Didley, died on Sunday, Jan. 28, after enduring a long illness.

Maduna, 66, has contributed many works of art to the communities of Cambridge and Boston. An explorer of culture through art for over 25 years, his African name, Vusumuzi, meaning “builder of a culture,” was particularly fitting.

Maduna’s sculptures and masks celebrate the African American experience with formal references to African, Caribbean and Native American cultures. Some of them can be seen in the Green Street Grill at Charile’s Tap in Cambridge.

His work has been shown in Dallas’ Museum of Art and the Museum of African American Life and Culture; the Japanese Visual Artists Union in Tokyo; Guangshou Fine Arts Academy in the People’s Republic of China, as well as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in Boston.

He was a member of the African American Master Artists in Residency Program (AAMARP), as well as resident member of the Gallery at the Piano Factory in Boston. One of his many public works include “The Judge,” which is displayed at the Roxbury District Court.

Maduna has been featured at Brockton’s Fuller Museum of Art, along with a number of other venues.

“People gather strength through their roots,” Maduna once said, “and it is through art that we hear our ancestral voices.”

Maduna was born on Oct. 22, 1940 in Cambridge to the late Edna Watkins and Sam Didley. Educated at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, he has been exhibited widely and served as Master Artist in Residence at Northeastern University.

Maduna is survived by his son Basonge James, daughter Nia Maya James and their mother Elena James. Known by many as Vuzi, he is also survived by a vibrant community of artists and friends.

The wake will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, at A.J. Spears Funeral Home, 124 Western Avenue, Cambridge.