UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 14, Page 11
December 10, 1992
Exhibit, lectures on African-American art in the spring

     In the spring of 1993, the University Gallery in Old College will
showcase 72 art works in an exhibition entitled "African-American Art: The
Paul R. Jones Collection."
     Jones, an Atlanta business executive and political consultant who has
been collecting art for over 30 years, has amassed one of this country's
largest privately held collections of works by artists of color.
     Through this exhibit, the public will have an opportunity for the
public to view rarely seen works by such major artists as Benny Andrews,
Romare Bearden, Camille Billops, David Hammons, Richard Hunt, Jacob
Lawrence and Betye Saar.
     Paintings, prints, photographs and sculpture are represented in this
wide-ranging collection, which encompasses works as diverse as the
photographs of Roy DeCarava and the folk art of Sister Gertrude Morgan.
Although only a small sampling of Jones' holdings, the exhibition will
reflect the intensely personal vision of the collector.
     Early in his collecting career, Jones became aware that
African-American art was vastly underrepresented in public collections,
although abundant and affordable.
     After considerable research, he identified a number of young artists
whose work he wanted to support and purposefully sought them out. Since
many were not represented by commercial galleries he began a practice of
dealing directly with the artists themselves. In many cases, these business
relationships turned into genuine friendships that continue to this day.
     The Paul R. Jones Collection now numbers over 500 works and includes a
wide variety of media and stylistic periods. It is significant, but not
surprising, to note that many of the emerging artists of decades past,
whose work Jones chose to support, can be counted among today's most
respected painters, printers, photographers and sculptors in the field of
American art. '
     Jones' commitment to these artists and their work is best summed up by
the collector himself: "As my collection 'caught fire'...broader, deeper
involvement emerged...respect for and relating to pieces grew stronger...
respect for its force increased."
     Since its inception in 1978, one of the primary missions of the
University Gallery has been the encouragement of student participation in
exhibition development. In the past, students have seized the opportunity
to present thought-provoking and visually arresting subjects to the viewing
public.
     Continuing in this vein for this exhibition, graduate students from
the Department of Art History have been involved in selecting and
researching the works that will be exhibited.
     Graduate student Richard Standifer is acting as a guest curator under
the supervision of Belena Chapp, director of the University Gallery, and
William I. Homer, H. Rodney Sharp Professor of Art History and chairperson
of the department of art history.
     According to Standifer, "The University Gallery is fertile ground for
any student wishing to gain experience in the art museum field. My time
with the gallery has been surprisingly fruitful. I was offered a curatorial
assistantship that provided a wide range of opportunities-a hands-on
experience perhaps not found in internships at larger institutions.
     "Traveling to Atlanta, I served on the selection team for the Jones
Collection exhibition and subsequently went to New York to conduct research
at the Schomberg Center. In this internship, I've also learned
documentation and art handling practices, and I now recognized the subtle
nuances of the politics and the ethics of public relations in the art
world. My experience has been and continues to be an affirmation of one of
the gallery's stated educational goals," he said.
     The exhibition will open with a public reception in honor of the
collector from 4:30-7:30 p.m., Feb. 11, and will run through April 4.
Several special lectures and performances are being scheduled to complement
the exhibition.
     The exhibition is being made possible with the involvement and support
of the Offices of the President, the Dean of the College of Arts and
Science and Affirmative Action and Multicultural Programs, the Center for
Black Culture and the Cultural Program Advisory Board, the Faculty Senate
Committee on Cultural Activities and Public Events, the Black American
Studies Program and the departments of Art and Art History.
     On view concurrently in the West Gallery of the University Gallery
will be the photo-documentary exhibition "South Africa:The Cordoned Heart."
     This photographic essay, which powerfully documents the conditions of
apartheid, was organized by the International Center of Photography, New
York and the Center for Documentary Photography, Duke University.
     The exhibition is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York
and grew out of the Second Carnegie Inquiry into Poverty and Development in
Southern Africa.
     In connection with this exhibition, on March 8, the University Gallery
will offer a public lecture by Philadelphia Inquirer reporter David
Zucchino.
     Zucchino won the 1989 Pulitizer Prize for his series, "Being Black in
South Africa," written while he was African bureau chief in Johannesburg.
Both the lecture and the exhibition are being sponsored in part by the
Delaware Humanities Forum.
     For details on both exhibitions, contact the University Gallery at
831-8242.
     The University Gallery activities are being planned in conjunction
with Department of Art History's biennial symposium entitled, "Image and
Identity: The African-American Experience in 20th Century American Art."
     The symposium, to be held at Clayton Hall on Friday, April 2, will
focus on the contributions of African-American artists. Nationally
recognized scholars in the field of art history will examine the role of
the black artist within a larger cultural and historical context.
     For more information, contact the Department of Art History at
831-8415.