At 75, Seitu K. Jones gets his first solo museum show

Many people may recognize Seitu K. Jones’ work from the murals that line Twin Cities streetscapes or from his contributions to environmentalism and food justice. A new exhibition offers a different look at his multifaceted career, showcasing the mediums, ideas and experiences that have shaped his work over the decades.

“The Smell of Earth: Seitu K. Jones Working in the Elements,” at the Minnesota Museum of American Art (the M) in St. Paul, marks a milestone in Jones’ career: his first solo museum exhibition.

At 75, Jones can’t help but wonder why it took so long. Beyond celebrating his career, he hopes the exhibition will open doors for younger Black artists, giving them the chance to show their work earlier in their careers.

“I hope that folks that come behind me, in particular Black artists, have this opportunity before they’re an old man,” Jones said.

The exhibition draws from nearly four decades of collected ephemera. Working in clay, drawing, painting and sculpture, the multidisciplinary artist, environmentalist and activist explores his deep connection to family, community and the natural environment.

Curator Alexandra Nicome said the idea first emerged in 2021, as she and co-curator Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski processed Jones’ personal and professional papers and came across sketches, works on paper and paintings the public had never seen.

Jones joked that the curators had essentially cracked open his head to examine the ideas and memories behind his creative practice.

“This is a look inside of me, and look not just at my artwork but look at these points of inspiration and information that were a part of my artistic formulation,” Jones said.

As a young artist in the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, Jones said, he dedicated his work to what he believed was an imminent revolution. “The revolution that I thought was going to happen next week,” he recalled.

During that period, he frequently created posters for community organizations, events and political causes. One, titled “Lift Every Voice and Sing: Social and Political Activity of Black Women in Minnesota” and inspired by sculptor Augusta Savage, promoted a 1979 event at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center.

Nicome said that as the curators explored Jones’ collection, they recognized an opportunity to highlight historically significant pieces, including a flyer for the Million Man March and a photograph of prominent Minnesota organizer Harry “Spike” Moss taken by fellow Minneapolis organizer Donnie Paterson. Moss served as the march’s national director of cultural affairs.

Among the works in the exhibition is a series of self-portraits exploring Black masculinity and the historical struggles of African American men. Jones said the portraits, created over the past decade, place him in the difficult circumstances Black men have faced throughout history.

“We thought these pieces could be interesting to install next to works where we see Seitu, maybe not explicitly, but we interpret it like him thinking about Black masculinity. So we put those works together,” Nicome said.

A recurring theme in Jones’ work is the relationship between Black identity and the natural world. A 1974 graduate of the University of Minnesota’s School of Agriculture, where he studied environmental education and landscape design, Jones draws on that background in his art.

One graphite drawing in the exhibition depicts a Black figure against a stark white landscape suggestive of a field. Jones said the work reflects the historical and cultural circumstances that have shaped Black people’s relationship with agricultural labor.

“Placing Black folks in nature is really key to my work,” Jones said, adding that he is also interested in blending tragedy with beauty.

Jones’ connection to the environment was shaped not only by his education but also by his family. A fourth-generation Minnesotan, he has deep roots in Old Rondo, the historically Black St. Paul neighborhood. He grew up in a large family with a strong appreciation for art, nature and community, and he spent weekends fishing with his father, uncles and grandfather.

“I can remember just laughing and talking and listening to them and learning from them,” Jones said.

He also remembers the quiet moments spent waiting for fish to bite and taking in the landscape. Those experiences, he said, taught him to appreciate the natural world alongside family and community.

“They taught me how to love myself, how to love my family, and how to love the earth and community,” Jones said.

That influence runs throughout the exhibition, which features portraits of family members alongside works exploring Black identity, history and nature. One piece holds particular significance: an unfinished portrait of Jones as a child, painted by his father.

Standing before the painting, Jones became emotional as he reflected on his father and the other family members who helped shape his life and art but did not live to see the exhibition.

“This work, it blows my mind still, and when I look at it, you know, I just am so sorry that they couldn’t see this, but at the same time, they’re with me and the ancestors are here,” Jones said.

Jones hopes visitors will leave with a deeper understanding of his worldview and of the community that shaped him into the artist and advocate he is today.

“Despite all the disparities that exist in Minnesota, that community is what gave me the influence, the inspiration and the power to make something like this happen,” he said.

For more on the exhibition, visit www.mmaa.org/the-smell-of-earth-the-work-of-seitu-k-jones/. For more on Seitu Jones, visit www.seitujonesstudio.com/.

Aamira Redd is a freelance journalist and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. She welcomes reader responses at aamiraredd@gmail.com.