Jess E. DuBois facts for kids
Jess Eugene DuBois (born July 6, 1934 – died December 28, 2022) was a talented American artist. He was known for his paintings, sculptures, and glass art.
Early Life and Art
Jess DuBois was born in Denver, Colorado, on July 6, 1934. He loved art from a young age. In 1957, he was part of the very first class to graduate from The Art Institute of Colorado. After college, DuBois traveled around the country. He learned from famous artists like Ray Vanilla, David Lafel, and Daniel Greene.
DuBois was of Creole and Cherokee heritage. He cared deeply about Native American art. He even opened his own art gallery, called the DuBois Gallery, in Estes Park, Colorado. Sadly, he had to close his gallery in 1982 because of a big flood from the Lawn Lake Dam.
After the flood, DuBois moved back to his old neighborhood in Denver, called Five Points. There, he started working with new art forms. He learned glassblowing, which is shaping hot glass, and sculpture, which is making art by carving or molding materials. He combined these new skills with his painting.
Awards and Recognition
Jess DuBois received many important awards for his art. In 1988, he won The Lifetime Achievement Award at the Denver Black Arts Festival. People praised him for being able to "Project the soul of his subjects onto canvas." This means he could show the true feelings of the people he painted.
In 1998, the Denver-area Regional Transportation District asked DuBois to create a special statue. He made a bronze statue of Dr. Justina Ford. She was Denver's first African-American doctor who helped deliver babies. You can see her statue at the 30th & Downing Light Rail Station in Denver.
DuBois was one of three artists to win the Denver Mayor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts in 2004. In the same year, he was added to the Art Institute of Colorado Hall of Fame. The City and County of Denver also honored him at the Five Points Jazz Festival in 2019.
Jess DuBois also enjoyed teaching art to children. He kept taking art classes himself because he always wanted to improve. He once said his goal in life was “to get better and better.” DuBois passed away on December 28, 2022, when he was 88 years old.
