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Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Colorwas developed by the Mint Museum of Artin Charlotte, North
Carolina, in collaboration with the Los Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust, and toured byInternational Arts
& Artists, Washington, D.C. This guide is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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November 14, 2009 through February 28, 2010
The Mint Museum of Art
Charlotte, NC
July 3, 2010 through September 26, 2010
Polk Museum of Art
Lakeland, FL
October 9, 2010 through January 9, 2011
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Washington, DC
January 29, 2011 through April 24, 2011
Hunter Museum of American Art
Chattanooga, TN
May 21, 2011 through July 23, 2011
The Womens Museum: An Institute for the Future
Dallas, TX
August 27, 2011 through November 6, 2011
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
Laurel, MS
January 12, 2012 through February 23, 2012
Mitchell Gallery, St. Johns College
Annapolis, MD
March 17, 2012 through June 17, 2012
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
Montgomery, AL
October 6, 2012 through January 4, 2013
The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
Jacksonville, FL
Exhibition Tour Schedule forLos Mailou Jones:A Life in Vibrant Color
Contents
Exhibition Schedule
1Introduction
2Exhibition Highlights and Timeline
10Compare and Contrast
16Youth Activities
17 Writing activity
18Adinkra symbols
20Draw your own self-portrait
22Selected Bibliography
For an updated tour schedule, go towww.artsandartists.org/exhibitions/loismailoujones.html
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This educational guide accompanies Los Mailou Jones: A Life in
Vibrant Color,a traveling exhibition that reveals the skill, devo-
tion and accomplishments of the artist. Her artwork synthesizes
African, Caribbean, American and African American iconography.
Joness skillful renderings of the figure, her humanistic portrayalof African Americans and professional women, and her develop-
ment of her exuberant palette have all contributed to making her a
substantial and remarkable American artist. Joness legacy shared
with future generations as she is recognized in exhibitions and
through representation in important museum collections.
In this educational guide, you will find exhibition highlights which
gives information about selected works and an illustrated time-
line that chronicles the life of Los Mailou Jones. You will also
be able to compare and contrast several works by Jones with
guided questions from the exhibition curator, Carla Hanzal. Thefinal activities in this guide are oriented for younger audiences.
Additional resources can be found in the back of this guide for
those who are interested in learning more about the life of Los
Mailou Jones and other African American artists.
Los Mailou Jones (1905-1998)was
a pioneering and accomplished20th-century artist who overcame
racial and gender prejudices during
her long career and achieved great
success as both a designer and
painter. Her influence as a teacher
impacted several generations of
African American artists and extendedbeyond her native country.
Jones in her Paris studio with kitten, c. 1938
1
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Jones begins spending summers on
Marthas Vineyard, where her grand-
mother, Phoebe Moseley Adams Bal-
lou, is employed as a housekeeper
and nanny. After years of saving,
Ballou purchased land in Edgartown
and Oak Bluffs, MA. Jones remembersbeing encouraged as a young child to
draw and paint, and was given mate-
rials to cultivate her talent.
Exhibition Highlights and Timeline
1906 1909
Los Mailou Jones is born November 3
in Boston, MA, to Thomas Vreeland
Jones (1874-1934) and Carolyn Dorin-
da Adams Jones (1870-1954). She is
their second child.
Thomas and Carolyn Jones purchased
a home in Oak Bluffs in 1909, and re-
turned there every summer. Joness
neighbor, Harlem Renaissance writer
Dorothy West (1907-1998), becomes
Joness lifelong friend.
Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 2
Los Mailou Jones and her Mother, CarolynJones, 1906
Jones, Dorothy West and friends, Marthas Vineyard, c. 1913
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3
Attends Harvard University during the
summer session. Shifts focus from de-
sign to the fine arts.
Attends the High School of Practical
Arts (HSPA) in Boston and wins an-
nual scholarships to attend evening
and Saturday classes at the Museumof Fine Arts, Boston.
In 1923 Jones graduates from the High
School of Practical Arts. At age 17,
holds her first solo exhibition at the
home of Mrs. Henry A. Ritter, Vine-
yard Haven, Marthas Vineyard.
Jones is admitted to the School of
the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as
a design major. She receives the Su-
san Minot Lane Scholarship in Design
each year.
Graduates with honors from the
School of the Museum of Fine Arts,Boston and receives certificate from
the Boston Normal Art School.
1923
Receives a scholarship to pursue gradu-
ate work at the Design Art School of
Boston and receives diploma. Begins
career as a freelance textile designer for
F.A. Foster Company, Boston, MA. and
Schumacher Company, New York, NY.
19271919 1928
Design for Cretonne #8c. 1928, tempera on paper
Courtesy of Los Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust
Los Mailou Joness early academic training at the High School
of Practical Arts in Boston prepared her for a career in design.
She also took evening classes at the Boston Normal Art School
(now the Massachusetts College of Art) in 1926. Later, Jones
pursued graduate studies at the Designers Art School of Bos-
ton and began working as a freelance designer for F.A. Foster
Company in Boston and the Schumacher Company in New York.
Her designs for cretonne fabric (a printed cotton fabric used for
upholstery and drapery) varied greatly from traditional floral
designs, ranging instead to exotic landscapes and abstract pat-
terns. Despite creating popular and marketable designs, Jones
remained anonymous. Her desire for recognition fueled her
resolve to pursue the fine arts, specifically painting.
Exhibition Highlight
Jones at the Palmer Memorial Institute, c. 1929, Papers ofLMJ/Moorland Spingarn Research Center
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1928 1930
Invited by Charlotte Hawkins Brown
(1883-1961) to establish an art de-
partment at Palmer Memorial Insti-
tute in Sedalia, NC, a prep school for
African American youth.
Joins the faculty of the art depart-
ment of Howard University in Wash-ington, D.C., as a design instructor.
1931
Participates inWork of Negro Artists
exhibition presented by the Harmon
Foundation.
Jones at Howard University, 1930
Exhibition Highlights and Timeline
Attends Columbia University and undertakes
studies of masks from various cultures,
including Native American, Inuit and African
ethnic groups.
Meets her future husband, Louis Vergniaud
Pierre-Nel (1910-1982).
Solo exhibitions at Hampton Universi-
tys Founders Day in Virginia and How-
ard University Gallery of Art, sponsored
by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Receives General Education Board fel-
lowship to study in Paris at the Aca-
dmie Julian; sails aboard the S.S. Nor-mandie le Havre. Mary Beattie Brady,
director of the Harmon Foundation,
advises Jones to take a sketchbook on
the voyage.
Rents studio apartment in Paris. Estab-
lishes relationship with classmate C-
line Tabary (1908-1989) who becomes a
lifelong friend.
Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 4
Completes Parisian Beggar Woman,
with poet Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
supplying text. By May, the walls of
Joness studio are filled with her Paris
artwork. Completes 30 illustrations for
Carter G. Woodsons bookAfrican Heroes
and Heroines.In September, returns to
Howard University as an instructor indesign and watercolor painting.
Receives the Robert Woods Bliss
Award for Landscape, The Society of
Washington Artists, from the Corcoran
Gallery of Art, for Indian Shops Gay
Head, Massachusetts(1940). Because
African Americans are excluded from
the exhibition, Joness friend ClineTabary submits the painting to the
annual competition. The award is
subsequently mailed to Jones.
Exhibits work at The Phillips Collection,
Washington, D.C., and Seattle Museum
of Art, Seattle, WA.
Jones and Cline Tabary teach art
classes in Joness Washington stu-
dio, which becomes known as Little
Paris.
1934 1935 1937 1938 1941 1943
Jones leaving for Paris from New York,c. 1945, Papers of LMJ/Moorland SpingarnResearch Center
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Los Mailou Jones: Peintures 1937-
1951is published in Paris. It contains
more than 100 reproductions of her
French paintings.
5
Receives AB degree in Art Education
(magna cum laude) from Howard Uni-
versity.
Spends summer in France. Shares
studio with Cline Tabary and visits
the South of France.
Exhibits work at Corcoran Gallery of
Art Biennial Exhibition (also in 1953
and 1955).
In 1929, Jones agreed to pioneer an art department at the Palmer Memorial Institute in
Sedalia, North Carolina. The paintings from her time at Palmer depict scenes from nearby
woods neighboring the schools sheltered campus. This piece, painted in the midst of the
countrys Great Depression, reflects Joness interest in her surroundings, her expertise in
watercolor, and provides an early testament to her use of African Americans as subjects
for her paintings.
Sedalia, North Carolina1929, Watercolor on paper, 13 x 19 inches
Collection of Drs. Christopher (Trustee) and Marilyn Chapman, promised gift to the Mint
Museum of Art
19521945 1951
Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of
Arts, London, England.
Serves as guest professor at Centre
dArt and Foyer des Arts Plastiques,
Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She is invited
by the Haitian government to paint
Haitis landscape and people.Marries Louis Vergniaud Pierre-Nol,
award-winning Haitian graphic artist,
on August 8 in Cabris, France, Cline
Tabarys hometown.
Solo exhibition at the Pan American
Union Building, Washington, D.C.,
and unveils portraits of then Haitian
President Paul Magliore and his wife
commissioned by President Dwight D.
Eisenhower to honor their visit to the
United States.
19541953 1955 1960 1962
Receives First Award in oil painting from
the Smithsonian Museum of Ameri-
can Art, Washington, D.C., for Fishing
Smacks, Menemsha, Massachusetts.
Exhibition Highlight
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Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 6
1968
Receives a Howard University Re-
search Grant for The Black Visual
Arts to conduct interviews and
document the work of contempo-
rary Haitian artists.
Receives the grant again to docu-
ment the work of artists in Africa
and the United States. Travels to
11 countries between April and
July 1970.
1970 1972 1973 1974 1975
Early in her career, Jones realized that a major objective of African American artists would be to create a
black figurative tradition that could rehabilitate and humanize African American imagery. In Mob Victim
(Meditation), Jones addresses the historical treatment of the black male and the brutality of lynching. When
it came to determining the appropriate facial expression, her model took a cue from his own experience,
having once witnessed a man being lynched in the South. He recalled that the plantations foreman just put
him in the wagon, tied his hands, and the brother just fastened his eyes on the heavens. In this painting,
the subjects ardent upward gaze turns an image of fatalistic defeat into one of inspiring strength.
Mob Victim (Meditation)1944, Oil on canvas, 41 x 25 inches
Courtesy of Stella Jones Gallery
Retrospective solo exhibition 40 Years
of Painting, 1931-1972at Howard Uni-
versity Gallery of Art.
Travels and paints in Africa and
France. Completes Ode to Kinshasa
and Ubi Girl from Tai Region.
Solo retrospective exhibition Reflec-
tive Momentsat the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston.
Receives Howard Universitys Fine Arts
Faculty Award for Excellence in Teach-
ing (1974-1975).
Exhibits work at Corcoran Gallery of Art,Washington, D.C.
Exhibition Highlight
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7
Exhibits Two Centuries of Black American
Artat Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
CA. Exhibition travels through 1977.
Retires from Howard University as pro-
fessor emerita.
1976 1979
Holds solo exhibition at The Phillips
Collection, Washington, D.C.
1980
Jones is one of 10 artists present-
ed with an Award for Outstanding
Achievement in the Visual Arts by
President Jimmy Carter at the White
House.
1982
Joness husband, Louis Vergniaud
Pierre-Nol, dies on April 27.
1983
Washington, D.C, television reporter
Max Robinson purchases Leigh Whip-
perand arranges for Madame Lillian
Evanti to go to the National Portrait
Gallery in Washington, D.C, and for
Chou-Fleur et Citrouille, Paris to goto the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
New York, NY.
Film titled Los Mailou Jones: Fifty
Years of Painting is presented at
Howard University by filmmaker Abiyi
Ford.
1984
July 29 is declared Los Mailou Jones
Day in Washington, D.C.
Receives Outstanding Achievement
Award in the Visual Arts, Womens
Caucus of Art, Cooper Union, NY.
Receives honorary doctorate in fine
arts, Massachusetts College of Art,
Boston, and an honorary doctorate in
humane letters from Howard University,
Washington, D.C.
1986 1987 1988
Jones opens Los Mailou Jones Studio
Gallery in Edgartown, MA (on Mar-
thas Vineyard).
1989
Returns to France to visit Cline Tabary.
Completes eight paintings.
Suffers a heart attack on her 84th
birthday; undergoes bypass surgery
10 days later.
1990
January - August 1990: Holds solo ret-
rospective, The World of Los Mailou
Jones, at Meridian House Internation-
al in Washington, D.C. Exhibition later
travels throughout the United States.
Jones visits each of the 17 venues to
present a talk of her life and art.
Exhibition Highlights and Timeline
Jones with President Carter receiving the Award for OutstandingAchievement in the Visual Arts, c. 1980, Papers of LMJ/MoorlandSpingarn Research Center
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Painted when Los Mailou Jones was 89 years old,Edgartown Beachprovides a symbolic portrait of where theartist came from and where she found herself at this late stage in her life and career. In the late 1800s, Joness
maternal grandmother, Phoebe Ann Ballou, worked for a wealthy family on the posh and secluded Massachusetts
island of Marthas Vineyard, and invested her wages in property on Edgartown Beach. After she suffered a heart
attack in 1989, Jones recuperated on Marthas Vineyard and attributed her speedy recovery to its tranquility and
healing powers. This brightly colored idyllic landscape exhibits a return to her earlier style of realistic painting,
but also represents her range of freedom to paint whatever she pleased at this point in her career.
Edgartown Beach1994 Watercolor, 17 x 23 inches
Courtesy of Los Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust
The Life and Art of Los Mailou Jones,
written by Dr. Tritobia Hayes Benja-
min, is published by Pomegranate
Press.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art hosts a
birthday party for Jones to coincide
with the presentation of The World
of Los Mailou Jones exhibition. The
artist is offered and accepts a pub-
lic apology for the institutions past
prejudicial policies.
1994
Los Mailou Jones dies in Washing-
ton, D.C., on June 9; she is buried in
Oak Bluffs Cemetery on Martha's
Vineyard.
1998
Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 8
Exhibition Highlight
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Early Works,an exhibition of Joness
textiles and textile designs, is pre-
sented at the African American Mu-
seum in Philadelphia, PA; Delta Fine
Arts Center, Winston-Salem, NC;
Featherstone Gallery, Oak Bluffs, Mar-
thas Vineyard, MA; and Brenau Uni-versity Galleries, Gainesville, GA.
Los Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust
establishes a scholarship in her name
at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,
and a scholarship fund at the Howard
University Department of Fine Arts.
Los Mailou Jones: The Early Works,
Paintings and Patterns 1927-1937 is
presented at the School of the Mu-seum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Dr. Christopher Chapman, trustee of
the Los Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust,
publishes Los Mailou Jones: A Life in
Color.
2005 2006
9
2007 2008
Los Mailou Jones, 1994
Exhibition Highlights and Timeline
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La Mre, Paris
1938 Oil on linen, 31 x 25 inchesCourtesy of Lis Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust
Painted in the same year that Jones completed her coursework at the esteemed
Acadmie Julian in Paris, France, La Mre, Paris reflects Joness unprecedented
exposure to and admiration of American impressionist art popularized in France
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This softly modeled, seemingly deli-
cate painting pays homage to the immortalized Western subject matter of the
Madonna and Child as well as to impressionist pioneer Mary Cassatt. Cassatts
now infamous images of the intimate relationship between mother and child likely
served as a source of inspiration for this piece. In 1940, this painting received
1st award in oil painting at the National Museum of Art in Washington, D.C. (now
the Smithsonian American Art Museum).
Points to Consider
Compare/contrast the subject matterof the mother/child theme and discuss how Joness treatment of thesubjects differ.
How do thediffering color palettes/backgrounds
change the overall feeling and meaning of the work?
Notice that both mothers, in La Mre, Parisand Mre duSenegal,are fixated entirely on the care of their chil-dren.What does this communicate to the viewer?
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Mre du Senegalrepresents Los
Mailou Joness return to the subject
matter of mother and child seen in
the earlier work titled La Mre, Paris(1938). The contrast of the two central
figures with the bright geometric
background became a signature in
Joness African-inspired artwork. Given
her early career in textile design,
much of her work inspired by Africa
can be easily translated into cloth
and was undoubtedly influenced by
the enormous prevalence of textile
artistry in African nations. This work
correlates with the core elements of
AfriCobra, a Chicago-based movement
of the 1960s and 1970s that sought
out art that utilized asymmetrical
compositions freely based on Afri-
can music as well as lively colors,
figures and forms translated from
African imagery.
Mre du Senegal1985, acrylic, 25 x 26 inches
Courtesy of Lis Mailou Jones
Pierre-Nol Trust
11
Compare/Contrast Selected Works La Mre, Paris vs. Mre du Senegal
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Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 12
Compare/Contrast Selected Works Jennie vs. Peasant Girl, Haiti
A year after Jones married Haitian artist Louise Vergniaud Pierre-Nol, the president of Haitiinvited the newlyweds to Haiti so Jones could create a series of paintings for the upcoming
Pan American Union with President Eisenhower. In the process of portraying the beauty of the
Haitian landscape, people and culture, Jones fell in love with her husbands home country and
her affection spilled onto her canvases. Her colors became brighter, her style more abstracted
and her subject matter was completely reinvented. Peasant Girl, Haiti appears strikingly similar
toJennie (1943) in that it conveys the utter humanity, strength and hard work of these young
black females, separated by so many social, political and cultural factors yet unified by their
determined gaze and by their hands affixed to the task at hand.
Peasant Girl, Haiti1954, Oil on canvas, 37 x 27inches
Wasdworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT.
The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collections Fund, endowed by Clair and Millard Pryor
in memory of Patricia Wiggins for her years of dedication to the arts and trustee stewardship at the
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and The Amistad Foundation.
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art/Art Resource, NY
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Points to Consider
Compare/contrast the way the young female subjectsare dressed, positioned,and their respective settings.
How do their expressions differ? How are they alike?
Notice that Jennie is fixated on cleaning the fish in the
kitchen setting and the Peasant Girl seems to be rest-ing after carrying things to and from market. Do youthink these are staged or a glimpse of everyday life? Whyor why not?Does either picture feel authentic? Whyor why not?
This painting may well have been the direct result of a conversation between Los
Mailou Jones and Alain Locke (1885-1954), a fellow professor and the head of the
philosophy department at Howard University. Locke urged Jones and other African
American artists to honor their African heritage and introduce uplifting imagery of
African Americans into the American aesthetic landscape. During the 1940s, Jones
and her friend Cline Tarbary held Saturday morning art classes at Joness home on
Kalorama Road in Washington, D.C. Jennie, one of their students, provided just the
inspiration. Attired in a cheerful yellow dress, Jennie makes the task of cleaning fish
dignified. Her eyes remain focused on the task at hand, yet she is not depicted as
subordinate, but rather as steadfast and determined.
Jennie1943, Oil on canvas, 35 x 28 inches
Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
13
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Compare/Contrast Selected Works Paris Rooftops, Montmatre vs. Street Vendors, Haiti
Paris Rooftops, Montmartre1965, Acrylic on canvas, 31 x 31inches
Collection of Robert and Elaine Jones
During the summers of 1964-1966, Los Mailou Jones and her husband, Lou-
ise Vergniaud Pierre-Nol, spent summers in Haiti and France. This painting,completed in 1966, is a tightly composed study of a nocturnal, architectural
compositionrooftops, skylights, and dormers as seen from a window in the
Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. Jones selected a decidedly cool and reserved
palette, with a predominance of blue, violet and grey and hard-edged outlines
define the geometric arrangement of the roofs and buildings. Within this painting
there is a startling polarity between the ordinariness of day and the mystery
and melancholy of darkness. There are few traces of human activity, and the
absence of individuals underscores the respite and solitude offered by night.
Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 14
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In 1977, Los Mailou Jones retired from Howard University after serving as a professor
of Watercolor and Design for 47 years. One year later, she returned to one of her most
influential and inspiring locations, Haiti. Street Vendors, Haitirepresents not only howJones allowed her physical surroundings to guide her choices of style, color and subject
matter, but also how she truly covered the whole gamut of painting, from Realism to
Abstractionism, Impressionism and Cubism. In this painting the rigid figures hearken
back to Nubian (Egyptian) sculpture. This blending of aesthetics from one African culture
to another echoes Joness belief that Haiti and Mother Africa were akin: closely related
and still closely connected.
Street Vendors, Haiti1978, Acrylic, 53 x 40 inches
Courtesy of Lis Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust
Points to Consider
Notice how the stylization/use of linein these two paintings,Paris Rooftops andStreet Vendors, contrasts with the greaterbody of Joness work, especially the earlier works.
What does this more modernized rendition of the Parisian cityscene communicate about the subject matterand/or theartists relationship with the setting?
How does the incorporation of four stylized human figures (streetvendors) in the Haitian scene change this cityscape/landscape
in comparison to the figureless rooftop scene?
Notice the cool hues in the Parisian scene and more warm huesin the Haitian scene. How does this add to the meaning and/oryour interpretation of each piece individually?
15
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Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 16
Youth Activities
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17Fisher Folk, Luly, Haiti, 1985, Watercolor, 17 3/4 x 23 1/2 inchesCourtesy of Los Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust
Write your thoughts about the exhibition
What is your favorite image and why?Are there any images you did not like, if so why?
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Adinkra Symbols
During a sabbatical from Howard University, Jones spent two years (1970-72) document-ing, exploring, photographing and lecturing in 11 African nations. In her African Series,painted during this period, work including Dahomey(1971) and Ubi Girl (1972) drawupon the symbols, art objects, textiles, colors and aesthetic stylesshe spent her days
documenting in that region. Upon close inspection, it appears that Jones utilized theGhanian symbolist language called Adinkra, which originally derived from the Asantepeople and is commonly used on Adinkra cloth to communicate important culturalthemes and philosophy. Through her African Series she allowed all these new visualelements to fuse with others she saw from the region as well as the immense visuallanguage she acquired throughout her life.
Right:Dahomey, 1971, Acrylic,53 x 49 inches, Courtesy ofLis Mailou Jones Pierre-NolTrust
Left: Ubi Girl from Tai Region,1972, Acrylic on canvas, 43
x 60 inches, Museum ofFine Arts Boston. The HaydenCollectionCharles HenryHayden Fund, Photograph 2009 Courtesy, Museum ofFine Arts, Boston.
Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 18
We are linked together like a chain, we are linked in
life, we are linked in death, men share a common bloodrelation, never break away from one another.
Adinkra proverb from Ghana
MMUSUYIDEE that which removes bad luck
Example Adinkra Symbols
Adinkra Symbols in Jones Work
SANKOFA return and get it
MPATAPO knot of reconciliation
NYAME DUE tree of God
MMERE DANE time changes
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19
3Take a symbolfrom the Adinkraglossary and discuss it with a
partner.Interpret the symboland suggest meanings.Thendisclosethe Adinkra meaning
anddiscuss thesimilarities/dif-
ferenceswith their answers.
1Pick an object(can be broughtfrom home) and switch it with an
object picked by a partner. Cre-ate symbols for these objectsand suggest meanings of thesesymbols. Then share and explorewith this partner how your sym-
bols are alike/different.Explore
how your individual interpreta-
tions are alike/different.
2Take a broad concept(suchas love, forgiveness, generosity,hope, etc.) and create a symbol
for it.
What kind of symbols, patterns, and designs reflect your culture?
What visual tools would you use to communicate about yourself,your cultureor any group you are affiliated with such as family,church or your school?
How would you synthesize these symbols/patterns/designs into a
piece of art that communicatesyour individual story?
4Ask a partnerthe following questions and have themcomplete a piece of artwork that utilizes their answers.
Suggested Activities with Adinkra SymbolsYouth Activities
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Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 20
Rather than only drawing yourself, includesomething in your picture that will tell oth-ers about who you are, what you like to do, orwhere you live.
When youve finished, pin your drawing up andstand back from it. Are you satisfied with theresult? If so,sign and date your drawing at thebottom.If not, try another one. Youll get betterwith practice.
Youth Activities
Materials: a pencil and a mirror.
Draw your own Self-Portrait
Self-Portrait,1940, Casein on board, 18 1/4 x 15 inches
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 2006
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21
To start your drawing,it is a goodidea to work outwards from the
center of your face.Start with your nose.Work slowly,
keeping your eye focused on thecontours of your face in the mirror.
Look downat your paper as littleas possible.
Selected Bibliography
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Books and Exhibition Catalogues
Bearden, Romare and Harry Henderson.A History of
African-American Artists: From 1972 to the Present.New
York: Pantheon Books, 1993.
Benjamin, Tritobia Hayes. The Life and Art of Los Mailou
Jones. San Francisco: Pomegranate Artbooks, 1994.Chapman, Chris. Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Color. New
York: Xlibris Corp., 2007.
Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America. Studio Museum
in Harlem. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987.
Hirshler, Erica E.A Studio of Her Own: Women Artists in
Boston 1870-1940. Boston: MFA Publicat ions, 2001.
Jones, Los Mailou.Peintures 1937-1951. Tourcoing, France:
Presses Georges Frres, 1952.
Jones, Los Mailou.Reflective Moments: Los Mailou Jones,
Retrospective 1930-1972.[Boston: s.n.], 1973.
Jones, Los Mailou. The World of Los Mailou Jones: Me-
ridian House International, Washington, DC, January
28-March 18, 1990. Washington, DC: Meridian House
International, 1990.
LaDuke, Betty.Africa Through the Eyes of Women Artists.
Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1991.
Locke, Alain. The Negro in Art: A Pictorial Record of the
Negro Artist and of the Negro Theme in Art.New York:
Hacker, 1969.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.Afro-American Artists: New
York and Boston; The Museum of the National Center of
Afro-American Artists, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,
19 May-23 June 1970. [Boston]: Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston,1970.
Perry, Regenia. Free Within Ourselves: African-American Art-
ists in the Collection of the National Museum of American
Art.San Francisco: Pomegranate Artbooks,1992.
Taha, Halima. Collecting African American Art: Works on
Paper and Canvas. New York: Crown Publishers, 1998.
Articles
Baker, Beth. Los Jones: after a 75-year quest for recogni-
tion, painter says At 90, I arrived. Ebony52.3, January
1997: 100-104.
Kennelly, Eleanor. Three cultures on an easel: Jones art
reflects travels, heritage. The Washington Times.16
September 1994: C12-14.
Robinson-English, Tracey. Celebrating Los Mailou Jones:
the grande dame of the art world (1905-1998). Ebony
61.2, Dec 2005: 124-128.
Rowell, Charles H. An Interview with Los Mailou Jones.
Callaloo12. 2, Spring 1989: 357-378.
Online
Bernard, Catherine. Patterns of Change: The Work of Los
Mailou Jones. Masters of African-American Art. (June
2003), www.artsnet.org/anyonecanfly/library/Bernard_on_
Mailou_Jones.html (accessed September 8, 2009).
Howard University Libraries. Los Mailou Jones 1905-1998.Art@Howard. http://www.howard.edu/library/Art@Howard/
LMJ/default.htm (accessed September 8, 2009).
Los Mailou Jones Pierre-Nel Trust. http://www.loismailou-
jones.com/ (accessed September 8, 2009).
Film
Jones, Los Mailou. Los Mailou Jones: Fifty Years of Paint-
ing.Produced by Los Mailou Jones and Abiyi Ford. 53
mins. Washington, DC: Howard University, 1983, video-
cassette.
Unpublished/Manuscripts
Jones, Los Mailou. Interview by Theresa B. Danley. Tran-
script. Black Women Oral.
History Project. Columbia University. Oral History Research
Office, 1977.
Jones, Los Mailou. Papers. Howard University. Moorland-
Spingarn Research Center. Washington, DC
Selected Bibliography
Los Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color Family Guide | 22
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This educational guide was written by Lauren Harkey and
Carla Hanzal, Mint Museum of Art.
Developed and edited by Cynthia Fountain, Marlene
Rothacker, Rachel Brocato, and Penny Kiser, International
Arts & Artists.
Designed by Julia Compton, Design Studio, International
Arts & Artists.
The primary source for this guide is the publication,Los
Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color(Mint Museum of
Art, Charlotte, North Carolina: 2009) The Mint Museum.
The exhibition was developed by the Mint Museum of
Art in Charlotte, North Carolina, in collaboration with
the Los Mailou Jones Pierre-Nol Trust, and toured by
International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C. The guide is
funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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