Seitu Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seitu Kenneth Jones
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Seitu Jones
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| Born | 1951 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | M.L.S. in Environmental History and a B.S. in Landscape Design |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Known for | Public artist |
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Notable work
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“Turnip Greens” Nashville Farmers Market, Nashville, TN, 2019; “At the Crossroads: A Community Meal,” Newfields, Indianapolis, IN, 2019; “Shadows at the Crossroads,” Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, MN, 2019 (collaboration with Ta-coumba T. Aiken and Soyini Guyton); “CREATE: The Community Meal,” St. Paul, MN, 2014 ; Rice Street, Dale Street and Lexington Parkway Light Rail Stations, St. Paul, MN, 2014; Storyteller’s Bench, Rondo Community Outreach Library, St. Paul, MN, 2013; Harriet Tubman, Tubman Center Alliance, Minneapolis, MN, 2003 |
| Movement | Black Arts Movement |
| Spouse(s) | Soyini Guyton |
Seitu Jones (born in 1951 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an artist who works in many different ways. He also helps organize communities. He is famous for his big public art pieces and designs for outdoor spaces.
Seitu Jones works alone and with other artists. He has created more than 40 big public art projects.
He used to teach art at Goddard College in Port Townsend, Washington. Today, he lives and works in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Contents
Early Life and Art Inspirations
Seitu Jones was born in north Minneapolis in 1951. He went to Field Elementary School in Minneapolis. Even then, he knew he wanted to be an artist.
Before he finished high school, his grandfather took him to see the Wall of Respect in Chicago, Illinois. This was a famous street mural made by many artists working together. Jones said, "Just seeing these Black figures done big – that blew my mind. From then on, I saw the power of the museum of the streets. That was my turning point to want to create big art."
Seitu Jones gets ideas from his great-grandfather, who was born into slavery. After he became free, he moved to Minnesota in 1877. He first worked at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, Minnesota. He saved enough money to start a farm in Rochester, Minnesota. This is where Seitu Jones' grandmother was born.
Jones grew up in a very creative family. His aunts and uncles were painters. His father was also an artist and painter. Jones feels lucky to have their art around him for inspiration. He says that because of unfair treatment and racism, his father stopped being an artist for a job. Instead, his father ran a print shop from their home. His father also painted signs for Black businesses in south Minneapolis.
Seitu Jones' Art Projects
Much of Jones' art is about placemaking. This means he creates and changes spaces. He works with the people in the area to make a temporary change. This helps create a special feeling for that place. Jones was also inspired by the Black Arts Movement. This movement believed that artists should make their communities "more beautiful than they found it."
Jones' art has been shown in many places. These include the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. His work has also been seen at the American Craft Museum in New York and the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC.
He has designed sets for many theaters in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul). These include Penumbra Theatre Company, SteppingStone Theatre, and the Guthrie Theater. He has also worked for theaters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chicago, Illinois, and New York City, New York.
In 2013, Jones won a Joyce Award. This award helped him create "CREATE: The Community Meal." This was a dinner for 2,000 people at a table that was half a mile long! The project helped people think about getting healthy food.
Jones also designed "Turnip Greens" in 2019. This large art piece hangs in the Nashville Farmers' Market. It shows a huge basket of spilled greens. The art honors a common local food and the people who grow it. It also brings attention to unfairness in food access. Jones said, "We can't meet all the farmers who produce our food, but this is a small way that we can reach out to embrace those folks."
Working with Other Artists
Jones has worked with Ta-coumba T. Aiken on several projects. One project was "Shadows of Spirit" (1992). This art piece has sculptures of human shapes made of bronze. They are set into the wide sidewalks of Nicollet Mall. Poems by Rosemary Soyini Vinelle Guyton are written on each shadow. The City of Minneapolis asked for this art. It honors important people from the area's history.
In another project, Jones and Aiken created seven sculptures at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. This art is called "Shadows at the Crossroads" (2019). It is like an extension of the Nicollet Mall project. It also honors and celebrates a group of people through public art.
Awards and Special Recognitions
- McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2020)
- Grand Juried Prize, ArtPrize 9, Grand Rapids, Michigan (2017)
- McKnight Distinguished Artist Award, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2017)
- Forecast McKnight Public Art Grant, St. Paul, Minnesota (2015)
- Artist at Pine Needles Residency, St. Croix Watershed Research Station (2015 & 2005)
- Joyce Award, Joyce Foundation, Chicago, Illinois (2013-2014)
- Sally Ordway Irvine Award (Vision) (2006)
- Bush Leadership Fellowship (2005-2006)
- Artist-in-Residence, Ceramic Program, Harvard University (2001-2002)
- Artist and the Millennium Fellowship, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation (2001)
- Artist-in-Residence, 651 Arts in Brooklyn (2001)
- NEA/TCG Designer Fellowship (1994-1995)
- Bush Artist Fellowship (1992-1993)
- McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship (1990)
- Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship (1990)
Images for kids
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Seitu Jones
