Throughout February Monmouth Arts is highlighting Black artists from New Jersey for Black History Month. Ben F. Jones, an artist, activist, and educator, was born in Paterson in 1941. For more than five decades, Jones has been creating multimedia artwork that brings awareness to the plight of humanity throughout the world. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Paterson University, a Master of Arts from New York University, and a Master of Fine Arts from Pratt University. His pieces reflect his travels throughout Africa, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and the United States. He has made more than 50 cultural exchange visits to Cuba and is recognized as one of the most important African-American artists of his generation by the Granma International of Havana in Cuba. Today Jones lives in Jersey City, where he continues to create his thought-provoking work.
Image 1: A picture of Ben Jones in his studio. Source: Ben Jones’ Instagram
Image 2: “Benin Images,” 1970, mixed media piece from Ben Jones. Source: Ben Jones; online gallery, benfjones.net
Image 3: “Billie Holiday #1,” 1998 from Jones’ Sydne Tarry Collection. Source: Ben Jones; online gallery, benfjones.net
Original source can be found here.
