Julian Jamaal Jones: 'If it wasn't for art school, I wouldn't be where I'm at now.'

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been four years since prolific multi-disciplinary artist Julian Jamaal Jones (B.F.A. Photography '20) graduated from Herron. In addition to completing an M.F.A. at Cranbrook Academy of Art, he’s shown work in numerous solo and group exhibitions, completed commissions for national brands, and has pieces in the permanent collections of Cranbrook Art Museum (MI), Richmond Art Museum (VA), and The Book Tower Detroit (MI). His latest solo exhibition, Take Me Back, features Jones’s signature abstract textiles and works on paper exploring his experiences in the Black church of his childhood. Take Me Back is on view at the Tube Factory Artspace in the Garfield Park neighborhood in Indianapolis through the end of March. Jones will discuss his work with Kat Goffnett, Assistant Curator of Collections at Cranbrook Art Museum on March 23 at 1 p.m. at the Tube Factory Artspace.

HERRON: Tell us about Take Me Back.

JULIAN JAMAAL JONES: For my first hometown exhibition, I wanted to do something that was true to who I was and highlighted my background. I was born into the church, so it made sense to me to do something dedicated to religion. I feel like a lot of artists are very nervous to talk about spirituality and church in their art practice, so it was a risk. At first I was really nervous but I knew that this was something I had a lot to say about.

When I thought of the idea in early 2023, I knew it would be a success because most artists don’t want to make work about religion and their personal beliefs. This was a huge stretch for me, but I decided to go with my gut and explore a concept that I care deeply about. The church has been a part of my life for 31 years; it only made sense to make work that I could connect to and talk freely about.

HERRON: What piece in this show was the hardest to create?

JULIAN JAMAAL JONES: I would say all 7 quilt works in the exhibition were challenging to make. The creation of the quilts took the most time due to the process of creating the compositions and top stitching each piece. The quilts took a total of 7 months to finish. 

HERRON: What’s the connection between photography and textiles in your work? 

JULIAN JAMAAL JONES: The connection between photography and textiles is composition and color coordination. You need strong composition skills for both mediums to create strong works. You also need a natural eye for color coordination in order to make your works strong and stand out from others.

I worked in fashion photography, so I was always around models, motion, fabrics, and the stylists so I always had some appreciation for textiles and fashion and fabrics. The more I started doing research into my background, I found that my family has a rich history in fashion and quilting. So it made sense for me to transition into more fiber-based works. My grandmother was a quilter, my great-grandmother was a quilter, and I just remember going to their house and seeing quilts over the beds and couches, so it was a natural medium to use to connect to my family roots. 

HERRON: Sewing and photography can often involve working with complicated equipment. What would you say to a young artist who might be intimidated by the equipment involved in their chosen medium?

JULIAN JAMAAL JONES: I’m a strong believer in doing what you want to do. I am a self-taught quilter. No one taught me how to sew. I knew the possibilities and the ideas I had for my quilt works, but the only thing stopping me was not knowing how to sew. I wasn’t going to let my experience with sewing stop me from pursuing my crazy art ideas. So I studied YouTube videos and started to practice on my machine. The next thing you know, I was creating large quilts. I would encourage any young artist intimidated by their medium to look at other successful artists working in that medium and begin to imagine yourself doing it.