Download Lois Mailou Jones - AmericanInfluences

By Taylor Michael
Facts
Jones was born in Boston, Massachusetts on
November 3, 1905.
 She first faced discrimination when she went
into a store showing one of her fabric designs to
introduce herself. The owner then said, “How
could you have done that? You’re a colored
girl.”
 She worked as a professor of art at Howard
University beginning in 1930.
 She married Louis Vergniaud Pierre-Noel, a
Haitian and talented graphic artist in 1953.

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The time they spent on the island of Haiti
influenced Lois’ use of new bright colors
and more African themes.
Lois Mailou Jones had to mail in her
artwork to many of the big art shows due
to continuing discrimination. She won
many of these awards and continued to
send in her artwork until she found her
place in the art world. She then let
herself be known as who she was.
Motivations
Jones was motivated to become an artist while
spending summers on Martha’s Vineyard Island.
There, she fell in love with all of the bright colors
on the island. She then began drawing and
painting.
 When the owner in the store discriminated
against her, she realized she needed to create her
artwork that she could be recognized with.
 Her father, being one of the first AfricanAmericans to graduate from Suffolk Law School,
gave her most of her drive, trying to succeed
him.

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Lois Mailou Jones became friends with her
neighbor, Dorothy West, when she was very
young. They are life-long friends. Dorothy
West is a Harlem Renaissance writer.
She collaborated with poet Langston Hughes
to complete Parisian Beggar Woman.
Ascent of Ethiopia,
1932 Oil Painting
Jones won many
awards for her artwork
including the First
Award at the National
Museum of Art in
Washington, D.C. She
has also won several
grants and a fellowship
allowing her to paint in
Paris, France.
She had a very
successful teaching
career, including
teaching at Palmer
Memorial Institute, a
prep school for
African-American
youth, and being a
professor at Howard
University Art
Department.

Peasant Girl, Haiti
1954
Les Fetiches
1938 Oil Painting
Her artwork has
been shown in
prestigious places
such as the
Smithsonian
American Art
Museum, and the
Metropolitan
Museum of Art in
New York. One of
her works has even
been placed in the
White House.

For a little bit more backround
on Lois Mailou Jones and to see
some of her artwork go to
http://www.allart.org/art_20th_century/jones1.
html
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“A Life Of Artistic Expression: Artist Lois Mailou
Jones.” The Fine Arts Trader. 2009. Web. Feb 27,
2011. http://www.fineartstrader.com/ljones.htm
“Introduction.” Lois Mailou Jones. Chapman
Pharmaceutical Consulting. 2011. Web. March 2,
2011.
http://loismailoujones.com/introduction.html
“Timeline.” Lois Mailou Jones. Chapman
Pharmaceutical Consulting. 2011. Web. March 1,
2011. http://loismailoujones.com/timeline.html