Michael Jones: Polyphonic Highlights New Exhibitions
Thursday | Jan 23 | 5:30 PM
Michael Jones: Polyphonic and three exhibitions featuring works from the Albany Museum of Art’s permanent collection will debut at an opening reception at 5:30 pm on Thursday, Jan 23.
“The AMA acknowledges and is delighted to highlight artist Michael Jones and his importance as a witness and advocate for the distinct yet vastly diverse Southern popular music heritage via his emotionally original and technically audacious paintings,” AMA Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf, Ph.D., said. “These works will harmonize with the exciting shows based on the AMA’s permanent collection in the adjacent galleries.”
The opening reception is free for AMA donors at the Reciprocal Level or higher. The cost is $10 for Artist Guild donors and $15 for non-donors.
An RSVP link is HERE.
Atlanta muralist and multimedia artist Michael Jones headlines the lineup of winter exhibitions with work that explores the sounds and distinct music culture of the South.
“Michael Jones offers a glimpse into the Southern music genres and sounds that we know and love,” AMA Curator of African Collections and African Diasporic Art Sidney Pettice said. “With site-specific photographs of the Albany State University Band at their 2024 Homecoming Game, the exhibition provides an appreciation for music in both our everyday lives and popular culture.”
Born in Dallas, Texas, Jones moved to Atlanta in 1994 and earned his bachelor’s degree in painting and sculpture from Atlanta College of Art (now part of the Savannah College of Art and Design) in 1998. Jones has completed public murals throughout Atlanta. Recently, his design was chosen for the MARTA Atlanta Airport mosaic commission. His work has been exhibited at the Rosa Parks Museum, in Montgomery, Ala., and Eyedrum in Atlanta.
Jones, whose exhibition will be on view in the Haley Gallery, highlights the soulful samples of hip hop heavily influenced by Southern soul music, especially those in the work of Sylvester “Sly” Stewart a Dallas, Texas-born musician. These sounds of the South are embodied through a distinct 808 beat, and the work of funk and soul artists like Albany’s own Ray Charles. Jones provides visual representations of these artists’ symphonic legacies.
Jones references the histories and iconic figures of the rap, soul, and funk genres but also considers marching band culture and sound staples in the Black Southern experience. The artist talks about the marching band as a key aspect of Black childhood, which develops into how he makes informed musical references within his work today.
Also opening Jan 23 are Idea Machines: Conceptual Art from the Permanent Collection in the East Gallery, Home: Selections from the Permanent Collection in the McCormack Gallery, and Know, Learn, Wonder: Highlights from the Sub-Saharan African Collection in the Hodges Gallery. The four new exhibitions will continue through April 26.
During the radically changing 1960s in America, an art movement emerged that shifted focus from the material and visual qualities of an artwork to the intellectual engagement it invites. In Conceptual art, the concept or idea behind the work becomes the artwork itself, often taking the form of instructions, text, or other non-traditional mediums.
“For Idea Machines, we are exhibiting a collection of works that rarely make it out of storage because they are sometimes misunderstood,” AMA Director of Curatorial Affairs Katie Dillard said. “With this exhibition, we aim to give some backstory to these unique artworks and to give visitors a sense of what some Conceptual artists in the 1960s and ‘70s were thinking about; what these artists were dealing with politically, socially, and personally.”
For Know, Learn, Wonder, Pettice said, “We are attempting to highlight the importance of perspective. We want our visitors to know that scholarship on art and artifacts hailing from Sub-Saharan Africa is changing; that views are modernizing and becoming more conscientious.”
“The Albany Museum of Art has the largest collection of Sub-Saharan African Art in the South Georgia region outside of a college or university setting,” Dillard said. “This permanent collection currently consists of over 1,000 works. This collection continues to grow and become a widespread collection that intentionally brings the nuanced cultures and traditions of the African continent to the forefront.”
In the McCormack Gallery exhibition, works in the AMA’s Permanent Collection that instill a sense of “home” were selected. Dillard noted that it is not always a physical space but can be where an individual feels a sense of comfort, familiarity, and warmth.
“Through the Home exhibition, we are taking a moment to celebrate our current home location while looking forward to our future museum facility nestled in the heart of Downtown Albany,” she said. “We’re excited to build a new sense of belonging, fostering connections and memories that make us all feel at home.”
The inaugural Juried Southwest Georgia Student Art Exhibition which opened Nov 16 at The Heart of Albany Festival is currently on view in the West Gallery. It closes at the end of the day on Saturday, Jan 25.
The Albany Museum of Art is located at 311 Meadowlark Drive and is open to the public from 10 am until 5 pm on Tuesdays through Fridays. Admission is free.
AMA EXHIBITIONS
- Michael Jones: Polyphonic is Jan 23-April 26, 2025, in the Haley Gallery.
- Idea Machines, Conceptual Art from the Permanent Collection, is Jan 23-April 26, 2025, in the East Gallery.
- Home, Selections from the Permanent Collection is Jan 23-April 26, 2025, in the McCormack Gallery.
- Know, Learn, Wonder, Highlights from the Sub-Saharan African Collection is Jan 23-April 26, 2025, in the Hodges Gallery.
- The Southwest Georgia Student Art Exhibition is Nov 16, 2024-Jan 25, 2025 in the West Gallery.
ABOUT THE ALBANY MUSEUM OF ART
The Albany Museum of Art is located at 311 Meadowlark Drive in Albany, Ga., adjacent to Albany State University West Campus just off Gillionville Road. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Albany Museum of Art is open to the public 10 am-5 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free.
For more information about the AMA please visit our website, www.albanymuseum.com, or call 229.439.8400. Be sure to follow AlbanyMuseumOfArt on Facebook and AlbanyMuseum on Instagram.
