(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Montclair Art Museum (MAM) and the African American Cultural Committee (AACC) at MAM have announced the Ben F. Jones Scholarship Fund in honor of AACC Co-Founder Ben F. Jones, international artist, and art professor.
The vision of the Ben F. Jones Scholarship Fund is for students to have transformative experiences in the visual arts through exploring their creative voice, building portfolios and personal connections, and increasing confidence and self-esteem.
“My advice to aspiring artists is…to get all the art exposure you can get and one of the best places to get it is at a museum…take workshops and have contact with great teachers and other young people who are also aspiring artists,” said Ben Jones.
“I feel so blessed to have had a good art education—especially in high school—because I had good art teachers and it really exposed me to the outside world. It helped me to know what’s important in art,” explained Ben Jones, who added, “This scholarship is very important to the community because it will allow a lot of young people from the inner cities who don’t have the funds to study at a museum.”
"Ben Jones is not only a great artist and a wonderful human being, but he is also a prolific mentor of artistic talent. The number of internationally successful artists who count Ben Jones as their mentor is astounding," said AACC Chair William Skeet Jiggetts. "The African American Cultural Committee is proud to present this opportunity for artistic instruction and mentorship to young, aspiring artists from our communities, in his name."
“The Museum is excited to establish this scholarship fund in honor of Ben Jones as co-founder of the AACC. This new opportunity will help carry out his commitment to making art education accessible to future generations of working artists,” added MAM’s Executive Director, Ira Wagner.
This Ben F. Jones Scholarship Fund is available for high school students ages 16+ to take adult Yard School of Art classes or workshops during the school year or summer. The scholarship is for students from households demonstrating financial need and covers tuition and the art supplies required for the class.
To learn more about applying for a scholarship or contributing to the fund, please click here.
The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) is located at 3 S. Mountain Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey. It boasts a renowned collection of American and Native American art that uniquely highlights art-making in the United States over the last 300 years. Works in MAM's Native American art collection span the period of ca. 1200 C.E. to the present day. The Vance Wall Art Education Center encompasses the Museum’s educational efforts, including award-winning Yard School of Art studio classes, lectures and talks, family events, tours, and the mobile MAM Art Truck. MAM exhibitions and programs serve a wide public of all ages, from families and seniors to artists, educators, and scholars.
All Museum programs are made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, Carol and Terry Wall / The Vance Wall Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and Museum members.
The African American Cultural Committee (AACC) at MAM is a group of dedicated artists, community leaders, and individuals vested in showcasing the diverse artistic expression of African American culture. The AACC is actively engaged in the life of the Montclair Art Museum.
The Committee was founded in the 1980s by artists Ben F. Jones, Janet Taylor Pickett, and writer Valerie Wilson Wesley with a mission to sustain and maintain the legacy of artists of the African Diaspora. In its advocacy role, the AACC is a bridge between the Museum and various communities, forging meaningful connections through outreach and programs, shared values, and vision on a local and international level. The AACC's goal is to ensure that these outstanding artistic contributions will be enjoyed and valued by future generations.
PHOTO OF BEN JONES
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