Preston Jackson’s work is about the life of a people whose history and culture were considered to be irrelevant to many Americans. As a painter, sculptor and art educator, Jackson tells the stories of his people, sharing their universal truths.
Elmhurst College will host Jackson’s exhibit Inside the Outside through Friday, Feb. 17, as part of the College’s celebration of Black History Month. Jackson specializes in bronze and steel sculpture and painting. His large-scale outdoor sculptures, as well as his smaller bronze pieces, have been exhibited widely across the country.
Jackson’s commissioned art works include a life-size bronze Jean Baptiste Point du Sable in Peoria; a bronze façade and doors for the Cahokia Mounds Museum; “Let's Play Two,” a bronze relief of Ernie Banks for ESPN Zone in Chicago; “Dr. Dan,” a bronze bust of surgeon Dr. Daniel Hale Williams for Northwestern University; and a cast bronze sculpture of Irv Kupcinet for the City of Chicago. Inspired by African-American oral tradition, Jackson’s series “Fresh from Julieanne’s Garden” reveals the lives and personalities of his ancestors who lived in the South in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
A reception for Jackson will be held in the Founders Lounge on Thursday, Feb. 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., with an Artist’s Talk at 5:00 p.m. Both the exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public.
For more information, please contact Suellen Rocca at (630) 617-6110 or srocca@elmhurst.edu.
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