An Explosive Collection of scenes representing the rich colors, traditions, and culture of Ghana
The University of North Carolina Greensboro Department of Public Health Education in collaboration with the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies will host Nostalgia: An Explosive Collection of Scenes Representing the Rich Colors, Traditions, and Culture of Ghana, by artist Belinda Hodasi Jones. The free exhibit is on display in February in the Gatewood Studio Arts Building and is open to the public.
Mrs. Jones was born in Ghana, West Africa, and has been creating art since she was a small child. She received her Graphic Design degree from the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana, and began working for the Art Gallery at the Center for National Culture (CNC). It was there that Mrs. Jones realized painting gave her the freedom of expression beyond the rigid structure of graphic art design. The influence of graphic art design can still be seen in her works.
Mrs. Jones’ professional career includes contracted work for the Kakum National Park, a full-time position at the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMNB) in Cape Coast, Ghana, as the supervisor of the Graphic Art Department. She later interned at the Air and Space Museum and the Office of Exhibits Central (OEC), both at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. She returned to Ghana to work on, “Crossroads of People, Crossroads of Trade,” which depicts the encounter between the Africans and the Europeans. It addressed the impact of the subsequent slave trade and the influence of the African culture that persists in the everyday lives of African Americans and the Africans in the Diaspora. As a Black, educated woman from West Africa, this was the first time Ms. Jones was forced to face the deep history of the slave trade, and it was an honor to use her talent while helping to tell this important story.
She returned to the U.S. and took a position volunteering for the Anacostia Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children.
There will be an opening reception for Nostalgia: An Explosive Collection of Scenes Representing the Rich Colors, Traditions, and Culture of Ghana on Thursday, Feb. 1, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Gatewood Studio Arts Building, 527 Highland Ave., Greensboro, N.C. 27412. The artist will be in attendance, and guests can enjoy light hors d’oeuvres.
The exhibit can be viewed from Feb. 1–Feb. 29, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can view samples of Mrs. Jones’ artwork at, https://goldcoastgallery.myportfolio.com