Select paintings showcased at Coatesville Savings Bank
Art Partners Studio is delighted to present a selection of paintings by artist Ida E. Jones at Coatesville Savings Bank. The exhibition opens on October 15 with a reception at the Bank, and closes December 10. Artwork will be on view in the lobby during banking hours and during Coatesville Centennial Heritage Day on Saturday, October 17 from 10 am to 2 pm. An opening reception is planned for Thursday, October 15 from 5 to 7 pm at Coatesville Savings Bank. The reception is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.
Ida Ella Ruth Jones, born in 1874 in Chatham, Pennsylvania, was an African American self-taught artist who began her prolific painting career in her seventies in and around her home on a farm in Ercildoun, Pennsylvania. Jones painted throughout Chester County in the 1940’s and 1950’s, depicting many aspects family and farm life. A decade of observations from her life as a wife, mother, gardener, and church member in the community live vividly on canvases and comprise a magnificent body of over 300 pieces. According to the Studio’s Director, Teresa Salinas, “We are excited to have the privilege of showcasing a part of Ida E. Jones’ legacy here in Coatesville. Her paintings show a truly personal and important historical perspective of this area, and we are thrilled to end Coatesville’s centennial year with this exhibition.”
Jones’ artwork has been celebrated in various venues in Chester County and beyond, beginning at the Chester County Art Association and local shops such as Speakman Bookshop in Coatesville. Solo exhibitions followed, the first at Lincoln University and another organized by Jones’ dear friends and patrons, Walter and Roberta Townsend. Her work was also shown in Philadelphia at the Pyramid Club and the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and other galleries. In 1995, the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester celebrated Jones’ life and work with a retrospective exhibition, “To Everything a Season.” All paintings in this exhibition are on loan from the artist’s family.
The Studio thanks Coatesville Savings Bank for their partnership and sponsorship of this exhibition. For more information about the exhibition or the Studio’s art classes and generous tuition aid program, call the office at (610) 384-3030 or visit our website at www.artpartnersstudio.org. The Studio’s office is located at 545 E. Lincoln Highway, in Coatesville. Fall office hours are Monday–Friday, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm.
Art Partners Studio is Coatesville’s art studio—a place where artists of all ages, art making, and art are encouraged, supported, and honored. Studio programs partner artists with neighbors through classes, exhibitions, hands-on activities at City events, and community art projects.
Art Partners Studio receives generous support from Angel Grapevine, Gunard Berry Carlson Memorial Foundation, Chester County Community Foundation: Fund for Chester County, Fund for Teacher Support & Valerie Lamb Smith Art Fund, Citadel, Coatesville Savings Bank, Coatesville Youth Initiative, Connelly Foundation, Di & Dallas Krapf, Huston Foundation, Marshall-Reynolds Foundation, Jennifer & Robert McNeil, PECO, Pennsylvania Partners for the Arts, Rotary Club of Coatesville, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Stewart Huston Charitable Trust, Target, and TD Bank.
