WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Vote them out. Respect my civil rights now. We want fair treatment. Those are just some of the messages at an exhibit: Raise Your Voices, Sounds of Protest, on display at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.
Jeromyah Jones is one of the featured artists, "A lot of my work is metaphorical and historical," Jones said.
Jones chose to focus on pivotal moments in Hampton Roads history for his artwork, particularly the arrival of the first 20 enslaved Africans in 1619. They came to what is now Fort Monroe aboard the English ship the White Lion.
"That's the White Lion that you see. But I personified that ship as an actual lion," Jones said.
The historical significance of this moment resonates throughout his work. "The White Lion ship forced those 20 to Fort Comfort, Virginia. At the time it was called Old Point Comfort," Jones said.
"And this is the first African marker at Fort Monroe, where the first enslaved Africans were forced," Jones said.
His artistic interpretation weaves together past and present in striking visual metaphors. "Two lions are portrayed. One carried the enslaved while the other delivers the prayers we've prayed," Jones said.
"That's what this painting is. It's showing the journey from slavery to freedom. So what we're seeing is the resurrection, the future resurrection of the just. So the chains are coming off of the bodies and the bodies are being uplifted to the King of Kings," Jones said.
When I asked what he wants viewers to feel when experiencing his artwork, Jones emphasized fundamental freedoms.
"This is the freedom of speech. This is the freedom of religion," Jones said.
"Look at my ancestors being resurrected together. This is the freedom of press," Jones said.
For Jones, art serves as his platform for expression. "As an artist, I choose to use my brush as the microphone from which I speak," Jones said.
And speaking of microphones, another piece Jones has on display is titled Lift Every Voice. It features a view of the world, a hand making a peace sign with three microphones each with an open mouth. "What I'm saying is we all have voices that we can use. This speaks on the universal freedom we have to use our voices to make this world better," Jones said.
Jones tries to showcase protest through his art. "A lot of times society calls peaceful protest civil unrest when in all actuality, those who are protesting just can't rest because they've been deprived of their peace," Jones said.
This same artwork incorporates landscapes within letters, creating layers of meaning. "If you look within each of these letters of Lift Every Voice, you'll see a landscape in each letter," Jones said.
His message calls for unity and understanding. "If we would just sit in nature and meditate on the goodness of the Father and understand that all of his creation, regardless of what color they are, are works of art, then we will have a greater respect for one another," Jones said.
The exhibit features approximately 26 different artists from across Virginia, on display through March 29th at the Jamestown Settlement.
For more information on the various activities for Black History Month at the Jamestown Settlement, click here:
