In Shakespeare’s popular A Midsummer Night’s Dream, characters enter the deep green woods and are transformed by Titania, the fairy queen and a little magical Puck with pixie dust. Literary nerds like me pour ourselves into studying the transformational nature of the “green world” as a trope in Midsummer, Shakespeare’s other comedies, and in literature more generally. It’s what we do.
Last week, I went into the Lost Garden at Allerton Park searching for Urbana native Lemarye Jones, Allerton’s current artist-in-residence, and I came out transformed. I’m not being hyperbolic. I went in with my internal Gen X monologue of despair and cynicism (because I was also actually lost), then emerged confident that this Gen Z genius is the kind of artist to lead the way as his generation comes of age and brings fresh hope for the evolution of social justice in our world. We need to enter the green world and we need Lemarye Jones to forge a path through it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Smile Politely: What a beautiful setting for this installation and for your photography. Tell us a bit about the overall theme of the piece.
Lemarye Jones: This is my makeshift altar (still untitled). I’ve been doing a lot with altars lately and exploring what that means. Traditionally altars consist of candles, water, white cloth, and maybe some images. I wanted to add technology to the piece. Because now, we’re worshiping technology. I wanted to put different cords around, all of the technology that’s obsolete or broken. The stuff we throw away. I found old tv screen in an alley. Most of the rest came from the trash. The piece consists of found objects.
SP: This is such an interesting use of throw-away culture set against the backdrop of this lush prairie forest setting. Can you say more about how you planned or drafted this installation?
Jones: I had been thinking a lot lately about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and some of the artificiality we get from these products. AI comes to us through screens. iPhones. Tablets. Television sets. I believe you cannot be an actual AI artist. I know that’s controversial right now and I’m sure some people will disagree. You can learn to generate good prompts. But ethically speaking, I don’t believe you can be a real artist and use AI. AI is theft of art. Prompts are drawing from other people’s hard work and other artists in the field. People are losing the fact that art is human expression. Human expression. I truly believe in our capitalist world, we focus too much on what sellable skills you can bring to the table. AI art is manipulating the system so you can get product out. Product is fine if that’s all you need or care about. But for me, as an artist, the work isn’t just a product. I want to have a living wage. As a photographer, of course, I have to learn new software. New design technology and techniques. Of course. I have to keep up if I want to be a freelance artist. But the artificiality of artificial intelligence is something I want to work against. I want people to see you can manifest anything. In this installation, I’ve got game controllers here, iPhone chargers, televisions, different elements in contrast to this setting in the woods.
SP: How do you see this piece reflecting your obvious commitment to social and racial justice?
Jones: I really want to do more with the environmental damage done especially to Black people and Black communities. I’m trying to get some of that into this piece, too. Just the impact of the environment and how resources are unevenly distributed in our society which negatively impacts Black neighborhoods and communities. I’m thinking of the quality of drinking water and lead in pipes and the ways states and communities do not support Black people and other people of color when it comes to renovation and growth. There’s all these dangerous manufacturing plants and other plants by Black neighborhoods and no one with any power and resources really cares. I want my photography to capture some of that and some of that thinking also went into this installation, or at least the thinking behind that is part of the work, part of my work.
SP: How has this setting helped you as an artist?
Jones: I’m so grateful I got accepted for this residency. This is the perfect space for me to unplug and really dig deeper into the art and the social justice element of my art. This is part of Allerton’s artist-in-residence program called “Rooting a Deeper Connection” and it encourages Black and Latinx artists to use this space to more fully explore our own art and how we connect with the environment. This is my first residency as an artist and just turning off screens and staying away from email and phone has been deeply transformative. I want to add my voice to this setting. There’s a place for Black people to be in nature. A lot of Black people don’t necessarily feel comfortable in a setting like this. Even something like hiking these beautiful trails. A lot of Black people think hiking trails is a white person thing. I want to show my community and future Black artists more about what’s possible. A lot of my family, who live in Urbana, have never even been out here and it’s so close to Urbana-Champaign.
SP: You live and work in Chicago now but what are some of your greatest memories from home in Urbana?
Jones: I went to Urbana High School, but so many memories are of growing up at the Urbana Free Library. I am a total library kid. When I didn’t have school, that’s where my mom took me. I know a lot of kids right now don’t have a lot to do or enough in their lives. When I was a kid, my mom got me into the library and books. I read like all of the Chronicles of Narnia, older books, autobiographies. That’s where I first read The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I checked out movies. That’s where I read and got more into social justice and history. I read Angela Davis’ autobiography. I definitely found more of a passion for the arts through checking out movies and using the computer lab. It was something to do that was impactful to me. I spent my summers in the library. I was always creative and checking out comic books and graphic novels. The library is the one free place for all of the community. Anyone can use these resources and they benefit everyone.
SP: How are the libraries up in Chicago helping feed your creativity?
Jones: They’re crucial. They actually have this tools library there, the Chicago Tool Library. You can check out almost any kind of tool. Not just hammers and drills. But like arts and crafts tools. Woodworking tools. Tools for camping. Painting. It’s important for people to be able to have these kinds of resources because access to the materials is important for budding artists. And I definitely still take advantage of Chicago’s public libraries. They’re powerful places. They always have free resources and wifi. Libraries are where community can just be. Libraries are our best resource.
SP: What do you want the legacy of this piece and your time here at Allerton to say about you?
Jones: The Sonya Massey murder had just happened right before this residency began. I carried her and that story in with me and she’s really been in my heart and in my head as I began this work. Her last words before she died were “I rebuke you.” That’s had such an impact on me and on this installation. I want this piece to also be a way to remember her. To carry her memory and her legacy with us. When we do the final event for this piece, I want to memorialize her. I mean Springfield is right down the road. She’s been on my mind. I got this Black American Heritage flag and brought it out here so that when we do the final events, people can come to this altar and get their picture taken out here, in nature, with the flag and in this spiritual setting. That’s my goal.
SP: What’s next for you after this piece and this residency is complete?
Jones: Back to work up in Chicago. I’ll be carrying this time and this work with me for sure. But I have several projects I want to work on. I’m starting a magazine called Glo and Glory. I’m going to be writing more. Doing interviews. Of course photography. I’m going to be having writers write about Chicago and the Midwestern scene in general. We’ll focus on Black artists and artists from alternative lifestyles and backgrounds. Including neurodivergent perspectives and insights. Punk artists. Alternative goth people. I feel like we’re maybe in for a Black and alternative renaissance. Chicago had a renaissance moment but the Harlem Renaissance overshadowed it in the earlier part of the 20th century. I feel like Chicago is having a moment now. We’re going to have a new Chicago Fashion Week and that integrates with some ideas I’ve been having about fashion and design. It’s our time, people of color and people with alternative perspectives, to really explore where the arts and social justice meet and to put those perspectives into the world through our voices and our art.
