Discover the Paris Connection: Top 7 Fun Facts About the Life and Art of Lois Mailou Jones

1. Paint the Town Lois

If Lois Mailou Jones were on a reality travel show, she'd definitely have the most stamps in her passport and would give a whole new meaning to "paint the town": Lois' globetrotting escapades to countries like France, Italy, Haiti, and Africa heavily influenced her artwork, with vibrant African textiles being a significant source of inspiration for her captivating pieces.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Creative Olympics Champ

Before van Gogh-ing for gold at the creative Olympics, Lois Mailou Jones was weaving through the canvas as a true champion: As one of the first African American women to showcase her artistic talent internationally, she bagged numerous accolades, including the prestigious National Medal of Arts, awarded by none other than President Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Source => wbur.org

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=> Fun Facts about Norman-Rockwell

3. Global Masterpiece Boss Level

If world-hopping art explorations were a game, Lois Mailou Jones would be the ultimate boss level: this trailblazing artist soaked in creative inspiration from African art, Native American cultures, and even Eskimo mask forms, only to shimmy her way into designing sets and costumes for America's first-ever African opera, Kykunkor. Talk about a global masterpiece!
Source => books.openedition.org

4. Picasso Meets Hogwarts Professor

If Picasso and a Hogwarts professor had a love child, it might just be Lois Mailou Jones: a renowned artist and educator, she was elected a fellow of London's Royal Society of Arts, received the Diploma and Decoration de l'Ordre National from Haiti, mentored stars like Elizabeth Catlett and David Driskell, and landed her masterpieces in over 16 museums such as The Met, Hirshhorn, and Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Source => washingtonpost.com

5. Gallery in Wakanda

Lois Mailou Jones was the ultimate jet-setting art connoisseur, once considering opening a gallery in Wakanda: In reality, her travels led to an artistic love affair with African tribal art and Haitian aesthetics, culminating in a role as a cultural ambassador to Africa in 1970 where she dove headfirst into local art scenes, and even interviewed fellow artists.
Source => nmwa.org

6. Artistic Chameleon Jet-Setter

Lois Mailou Jones: globetrotter, culture vulture, and artistic chameleon, constantly whipping out her creative passport to thrill us with vibrant, stylistic layovers. The serious reveal: Her ever-evolving artwork was profoundly shaped by her extensive travels in Europe, Africa, and Haiti, as she soaked up diverse cultures and infused them into her illustrious career.
Source => blog.mam.org

7. Renaissance Woman Reloaded

Who says Renaissance women only existed during the Renaissance? Lois Mailou Jones tackled everything from fabric to hoops to the ivories: Throughout her diverse career, she designed textiles for New York firms, coached basketball, taught folk dancing, and played piano during Sunday services at Palmer Memorial Institute.
Source => nmwa.org