About the Artist

My latest series of figurative works illuminates the post-slavery exodus of African-Americans from the Jim Crow South into the industrialized North, with a focus on the migration of my very own ancestors—up from Arkansas and Virginia, and into the small towns and greater metropolitan areas of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Culled from a series of nearly forgotten family photos, the first few images trace the matrilineal progression of the Strader Women from Danville, Virginia, lionizing their memory and the indelible footprint they left in McDonald, Pennsylvania. Integrating a mythological interpretation of my father’s journey into the afterlife, I endeavor to immortalize the imprint my ancestors left in a society currently determined to erase the foundational contributions African Americans have made to the creation of this nation. This series of vivid digital collages focuses on the quiet strength and unyielding fortitude of those who have gone on before me.

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Drawing inspiration from artists such as Glen Ligon, Ed Ruscha, and Barbara Kruger, Gary Jones navigates the intersection of landscape and psychic memory in his multi-disciplinary art practice. Through vividly hyper-colorized imagery that serves as a canvas for bold text, figurative elements, or simply allows the landscape to speak for itself, Jones crafts a visual narrative that presents an Afro-futuristic vision challenging America's entrenched pastoral traditions.

Jones's journey into the realm of photography began during his college years, sparking a self-taught exploration that would shape his artistic trajectory. Born in 1962 in Enterprise, Alabama, Jones initially pursued Undergraduate Drama at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting.

Returning to his family home in New Jersey, Jones reignited his passion for photography. He combined it with his literary exploration of sociopolitical themes and his cinematic impulse to shed light on America's complex history. Through his art, Jones offers a compelling and thought-provoking commentary on the layers of memory, landscape, and identity within the American experience.