Lawrence Arthur Jones facts for kids

Lawrence Arthur Jones (1910-1996) was an important African-American artist and printmaker. He lived in the 20th century. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Jones spent most of his life teaching art. He taught in Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi.

Jones was a friend and colleague of famous black artists like Charles White and Eldzier Cortor. His biggest achievement was creating a fine arts program at Jackson State University in Mississippi.

Even though Jones is best known as an art teacher, his artwork is in many important museums. You can still see many of his murals on college campuses in the Southern United States. His art includes prints, paintings, and murals. These often show the history of African-Americans in the United States. His pictures of people often show the challenges black people faced in different times and places. Jones painted about slavery in the South and poverty in Northern cities.

Life and Art Journey

Lawrence Arthur Jones was born in 1910 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was the oldest of 12 children. His family was proud to say they were related to Sally Hemings. She was a slave on Thomas Jefferson's plantation.

Jones grew up quite poor. But from a young age, he was very good at drawing. In high school, Jones went to a segregated school. This meant it was only for black students. The school did not have much money and no art department. Still, Lawrence found ways to use his art skills. He drew charts, sketches, and decorations for the school.

In 1927, during his last year of high school, a famous poet named James Weldon Johnson visited his school. Jones showed the poet his drawings. Johnson was very impressed. He told Jones to study art more after he graduated.

Because of Jim Crow laws in Virginia, Jones could not go to art school there. These laws kept black and white people separate. So, in 1934, he went to the Art Institute of Chicago. To pay for school, Jones worked. His local community also helped him raise money. They wanted to support his talent. Even a state senator, Carter A. Glass, wrote letters to help Jones. His community raised about $700. This was not enough for a full term. So, Jones worked briefly as a busboy in Albany, New York.

When he arrived in Chicago in 1932, Jones also worked for the WPA/FAP. This was a government program that helped artists during the Great Depression. He earned more money for his education there. Jones studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1934 to 1936. He became friends with other talented artists there. These included Charles White, Frank Neal, and Eldzier Cortor.

In the 1930s, Chicago had a growing community of African-American artists. Lawrence Jones helped create the first black community art center in Chicago. It was called the South Side Community Art Center. While studying, Jones also worked at the art studios at Hull House. There, he met the famous writer Gertrude Stein. Like James Weldon Johnson, Stein was impressed by Jones's art.

Teaching Art

Dillard University

Jones did not finish his degree at the Art Institute of Chicago. He left in 1936 to teach painting at Dillard University in New Orleans. Many people say that Elizabeth Catlett started the art department at Dillard. But Jones said he actually started the program. He just could not get credit because he did not have a degree yet. Jones taught and studied at Dillard from 1936 to 1940. He earned a bachelor's degree in dramatic arts from the university. Before leaving Dillard, Jones received a special award called a Rosenwald Fellowship. This allowed him to study at the famous Taller de Gráfica Popular in Mexico.

Learning in Mexico and Teaching in Georgia

At the Taller de Gráfica Popular in Mexico, Jones learned how to make woodcut and linocut prints. These are types of art where you carve a design into wood or linoleum. He also met famous artists like Diego Rivera and José Orozco who visited there.

Jones left Mexico in 1941. He went to teach at Fort Valley State College in Georgia. One of his students there was Benny Andrews. Benny later became a well-known African-American artist himself.

In 1942, during WWII, Jones joined the American army. He was stationed at Fort McClellan in Alabama. In the army, Jones became an illustrator. He painted a mural called "Negro Work and Life in Georgia" at Fort McClellan. This mural showed the daily life of black farmers in the South. Jones left the Army in 1946. He then returned to teach at Fort Valley State University.

Building Art Programs at Jackson State

In 1949, Jones left Georgia. He went to start a new art department at Jackson State University in Mississippi. He taught at Jackson State until the 1970s. During this time, Jones greatly expanded the art department. He added classes like ceramics, drama, art history, and interior design. One of his students at Jackson State University was the fashion designer Patrick Kelly.

Studying and Teaching at University of Mississippi

From 1970 to 1971, Jones took a break from Jackson State University. He went to get his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the University of Mississippi. While studying for his MFA, Jones also taught drawing at Ole Miss. At that time, he was one of only two black instructors there.

Awards and Special Recognitions

• 1940 - Received a Fellowship from the Rosenwald Fund. This allowed him to study printmaking in Mexico.
• 1963 - His painting "Past, Present, Future" won an honorable mention at the Atlanta University art show.
• 1964 - The same painting, "Past, Present, Future," won the Karl Douglas Trophy. It also took second place at the Chicago Centennial Show of Black Progress.
• 1964 - Awarded a Carnegie Fellowship to study pottery.

Where You Can See His Art

You can find Lawrence Arthur Jones's artwork in several important places:

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.
• Jackson State University Art Gallery, Jackson, Mississippi.
• The Print Research Foundation, Greenwich, Connecticut.
• The National Gallery of Art, Washington, District of Columbia.
• St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri.

Jones's murals can be seen at Fort Valley State University and Jackson State University. He also painted murals in churches and other community buildings where he lived. However, the exact locations of all these works are not fully known.

Known Artworks

• In the Alley, 1936, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Seated Man with Suitcase, 1937, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Ghetto, Maxwell Street, 1937, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Street Workers Resting, 1937, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Hull House, Chicago, 1937, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Poland '46, 1946, National Gallery of Art