MONTICELLO — A 2015 Urbana High School graduate who is now a photographer and visual artist in Chicago will be the next Artist-in-Residence at Allerton Park & Retreat Center.
Lemareyè Jones will combine many of his current passions during a three-week stay beginning July 26 at the Monticello-area park, including the clash of technology and nature, photography, visual arts and West African culture.
His plans include photographing pieces of technology in a natural setting to spur dialogue on “how technology is kind of overcoming nature, and how we use technology to colonize different areas.”
Jones started taking photos about five years ago. The covid lockdown in 2020 gave him more time explore photography and drove him to make it his chosen vocation.
“Covid was pretty much what made me decide to go deeper into it,” he said. “It started as a hobby, but that’s when I started taking pictures of anything I felt like. I also started watching a lot of movies, and that was kind of the motivation for doing photography; one day I want to make my own productions and direct movies and short films.”
That passion for visual arts — which started with a budget vlogging camera — has led to additional dreams, such as a magazine he will publish soon under the the brand of his company, Glo & Glory.
He cherishes both his Central Illinois upbringing and his current Chicago roots, which show in his photography.
“I want to depict my community as a black person and depict my community as a midwestern young man and talk about life and mental health and spiritual awareness,” he said.
Jones’ residency is part of Allerton’s Rooting a Deeper Connection, which highlights the art within the Black and Latinx communities. It debuted in the spring of 2022 and has hosted artists, musicians, writers and playwrights.
“The Rooting a Deeper Connection residency has been able to bring artists of so many backgrounds to the park, along with their cultures and traditions,” said Allerton Senior Event Coordinator Olivia Bunting.
“By providing a residency for Black and Latinx voices, we are bringing new perspectives, traditions and backgrounds to the park as well as the whole community.”
Bunting said a community outreach event for Jones’ residency is also being planned.
Find out more about Jones at his Glo & Glory (G&G) website. Learn about Allerton’s In-Residence program here.
