Jimi Jones

Artist Statement:

If life is a fox hunt, what role do you play?

Are you the Master: conductor of the Hunt; selecting and inviting only those who are like you.

Are you the Huntsman: in charge of controlling the hounds but still only second in command.

Are you a Hound: you have no voice so are controlled and kept as a pack by the Huntsman’s voice; your only job is to blindly chase down and kill the fox.

Are you a Rider: only in the hunt because someone has allowed you in; you and the other Riders are indistinguishable from each other.

Are you the Fox: chased by Riders and Hounds; guilty of nothing but existing.

Does race control your role? Does wealth change your role? What role do you play? America. Prelude to After the Hunt.

Bio: 

Jimi Jones is a long time resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his BS in Graphic Design from UC’s DAAP and is one of the founding members of the Neo-Ancestralists, a collaborative of African American artists. As a member of that creative endeavor, he has been featured in exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Center, the Weston Art Gallery, and Shot Tower Gallery (Columbus, OH).

As a solo artist he has exhibited his work at a number of venues in the Cincinnati area including the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center, the Mockbee, Suzanna Terril Gallery, ArtWorks Secret Artist Show, and ArtWorks Mural Project. Jimi’s art has been exhibited at the University of Cincinnati 840 Gallery, Thomas More College, Northern Kentucky University, The Arts Consortium of Cincinnati, the Harcum Art Gallery at Wilmington College, and the Appleton Gallery at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, OH.

Jimi has also had his paintings in regional and national exhibitions including the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio; Springfield Art Museum Members Show in Springfield, Ohio; and the Wilber Jennings Gallery in New York, New York.

In 2016, Jimi was honored with a one man show at the Springfield Museum of Art (a Smithsonian affiliate), and in early 2018 the Springfield Museum acquired a piece of his art for their permanent collection. Cincinnati Bell’s Corporate Collection and the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center have also acquired pieces of Jimi’s work for their collections.

Jimi paints out of his studio at the Carl Solway Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

jimijonesart.com