STORYTELLERS

Steeped in the history of quilt making and a vast group of anonymous or under-recognized female makers over a vast swath of time, Dayton-based artist Heather Jones’ work is unequivocally feminist. Having grown up in Ohio, on the outskirts of Appalachia, she explores the relationship between gender, place, time, and culture, and sees the practice of stitching individual pieces of fabric together as a metaphor for rebuilding. Inspired equally by the improvisational approach to the composition of the quilters of Gee’s Bend and by the minimalist abstract paintings of Josef Albers, Mark Rothko, and Robert Ryman, her monumentally draped geometric hangings or small, playful, tic-tac-toes of colored shapes tightly wrapped around wood frames have much more in common with paintings–and she refers to them as such. Her unique sensibility has garnered her national recognition and she was selected as an artist-in-residence for the internationally renowned artist, Kehinde Wiley’s inaugural class at Black Rock Senegal in 2019.

Courtesy of the artist; Contemporary Art Matters, Columbus, OH; Pete Scantland, Columbus, OH; and David Richard Gallery, New York, NY.

Photos: Jake Holler