ARTIST STATEMENT

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Reflecting on the importance of story, Joyce Morrow Jones works in series, creating numerous thematic works with an overall unifying theme based on ancestral tributes. What she receives from the ethereal realm are stories that the ancestors want to be told through her art. The stories of endurance, perseverance and self-determination speak even louder than the cries resulting from tragic injustices, reminding her that even fragile butterflies can endure hundreds of miles of migration across land, seas, and storms.

Jones envisions an ancestral tribute to honor the beautiful legacies and rich traditions from the African continent and its descendants born throughout the Diaspora. Visually, this tribute is reminiscent of migration, albeit a forced journey from a land to which most would never return. Throughout her exhibition history are numerous stories within the collective representation of the Diaspora that are prominently featured in several series of works: Ancestral Tributes, Indigo & Cotton, and Spirit of the Masquerade. 

As a fiber and mixed media artist, she is often asked, “What inspires your work?” While she has many insights, it is apparent that the answer is African textiles! Rich vibrant colors, patterns, textures and cloth.  Jones loves Indigo, Mudcloth, Ankara, and Kente.

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In many indigenous cultures, what an artist accomplishes may not have a specific name, but magic is probably the best analogy. An artist dreams and then draws from the ether the stories and symbols—then, as if by magic, creates what was envisioned. This is the same artistic process that she uses to create; although, she seldom talked about it, afraid of what people would think. Now, she is more comfortable sharing that she starts with the story first, and then determines what art mediums are best suited to give birth to the object. It is the spirit or energy of that story that calls out during the creation process.

As an artist, Jones is both metaphysical and spiritual. She listens carefully whenever people describe her work, and oftentimes the word “magical" is used in their critique. She focuses intently on “energy” while she is creating, and people can feel it.  Sometimes the response is strong on either end of the spectrum— trepidation and/or appreciation. Other times, more scholarly individuals in the art world say that her work is visual, cultural, and literary as she tells stories about the inspirations that influenced a creation.

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When asked about her art process during an interview, Jones responded, “My work has strong energetic presence, so if you can open yourself to the layers of story, symbolism, and significance, it makes my work more approachable.” She has seen this play out in real-time with people not understanding that even artwork has an auric energy field. Perhaps, this is what separates “sacred art” from “fine art,” but her goal is to unify both in her art practice. 

BIO

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In 2016, Joyce Morrow Jones received her first opportunity to participate in an exhibition entitled Contemporary African Spirituality at the Calabar Gallery in New York City (Harlem), where she discovered that the learning curve for an emerging artist is steep. Currently, many in the art community say that she has arrived as a professional artist because of her prolific creativity and ambition to exhibit her artwork.  Jones has been creating all her life, but she finally understands the wide spectrum that spans from folk art to fine art and how her style bridges that huge expanse. She became serious about doll art less than ten years ago. During that period, her work has evolved in ways that she never imagined.  From storytelling in theatres and community venues as performance art, to sharing the narratives inspiring her work during exhibitions, her artistry and storytelling are now one and the same.

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Jones graduated from the College of Wooster, with a double major in Sociology and Religion, with a concentration in Black and African Studies. After graduation, she began working with non-profit organizations and continued for 28 years in positions of program development, grant writing, communications, and fundraising. She has held artist residencies at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, Ohio and Karamu House: A Room in the House. She is also a teaching artist, working at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Art House - Urban Bright Arts in Education Program & Orange Recreation Center.

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