Wayson Jones - Exhibitions

Introduction

Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art (Tephra ICA) presents a solo-exhibition by artist Wayson Jones.

Tephra ICA at Signature, located at the Signature apartment building (11850 Freedom Dr, Reston, VA) is an innovative satellite gallery space that presents a year-round schedule of exhibitions featuring work by local and regional artists as selected by Tephra ICA curatorial staff. Visitors are welcome Wednesday–Saturday, 11am–5pm. Free and open to the public.

Tephra ICA at Signature is provided in partnership with BXP and Bozzuto, and generously sponsored by Reston Community Center.

Maryland-based artist Wayson R. Jones is a painter, spoken-word artist, and musician. His life has been filled with art since grade school, including music, improvisational dance, performance, poetry, film, and all forms of visual art. As a self-taught painter, Wayson’s work is grounded in an interest in material and the performative aspects of his previous art experiences.

Jones’ paintings are rich with color and highly dimensional. His rich and dense surfaces are created by layers of graphite or pumice gel mixed with pigment to build paintings that break the traditional frame and pour into space. His use of the horizontal line, however, helps build structure and serves as a ground for his use of texture and vibrant color.

Biography

Wayson Jones received a degree in music from University of Maryland and later went on to perform with poet Essex Hemphill, as part of Washington, DC’s pioneering Black gay and lesbian arts scene of the 1980s and 1990s. The two performed in venues including Blues Alley and The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions; and LaMama Theater, NY, New York. They also worked with filmmaker Isaac Julien (Looking for Langston) and videographer Marlon Riggs (Tongues Untied, Black Is/Black Ain’t). Wayson’s visual art is informed by these experiences and by an exuberant approach to materiality and process. He has had solo shows at Hemphill Artworks, BlackRock Center for the Arts, Arts/Harmony Hall, Northern Virginia Community College, DCAC, and Prince Georges County Publick Playhouse. He received a 2017 Individual Artist Fellowship from the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council, and a 2023 Artist Grant from the Belle Foundation. Wayson’s artwork is in the collections of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Maryland/National Capitol Park and Planning Commission, The Hotel at the University of Maryland, and other public and private collections in the DC area and nationally. He is represented by Hemphill Artworks in Washington, DC.