Loïs Mailou Jones at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

The first Sunday of every month is community day at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, which means (woohoo!) it's free to get in.  So that's what I did last Sunday.  I'd wandered into the museum once years ago, and had then much the same impression of it that I had this time around: it's a LOT of space, marble and chandeliers, that seems just a bit empty, echo-y.  They are doing their best to liven things up, and now run a brunch on Sundays (the remains of which looked quite tasty with the last lingering diners still scattered about) and later, had in some dancers who did an exhibition of Brazilian dance.  Great drums, although I seemed to keep missing seeing the actual dancing, as each time I came out away from the paintings to look, the dance was just ending and discussion ensuing. 

The highlight of the day, by far, was the exhibit, "Loïs Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color."  Photography not allowed in the exhibit (only in regular collection), so none of my own photos.  I lifted these from google to give you an idea.

"Jennie"

"Mere du Senegal"

Jacqueline Trescott, cultural reporter for The Washington Post, had this to say about Mailou Jones and her work:

Mailou Jones's great gift was transporting the viewer into the daily lives of her subjects. Her work was colorful, soaked with the shades of skin, sunshine, textiles, fruit and other objects of art. When she did a mask, the eyes moved with you. When she showed an African American girl cleaning fish, the strokes were rhythmic.

Mailou Jones taught at Howard University for 47 years. She had plenty of lessons to share, not only about technique, but about fighting for acceptance in the white art world. Despite rejections and racism, she pursued her own path and is considered a forerunner of several black art movements. She was the first African American to have a solo show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, in 1973. Jones, who died in 1998 at 92, is represented in many major museums and collections.

Full Post article, click here.

For more info on Mailou Jones, check out http://www.loismailoujones.com/index.html.