Napoleon Jones-Henderson

Napoleon Jones-Henderson was born in 1943 Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in the community of Altgeld Gardens. Jones-Henderson attended the Sorbonne Student Continuum-Student and Artists Center in Paris, France in 1963 where he was immersed in an independent study program in French Art History and Figure Drawing. Upon returning to the United States, he enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago receiving his B.F.A. degree in 1971. Jones-Henderson went on to earn credits in advanced graduate studies in Fine Arts at Northern Illinois University and earned his M.F.A. degree in Interdisciplinary Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2005.

In 1968, during the apogee of the Chicago Black Arts Movement, Jones-Henderson became a member of the Chicago-based artists’ collective called COBRA (Coalition of Black Revolutionary Artists). The collective changed its name in 1969 to AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists). During the formative years of AfriCOBRA, Jones-Henderson created large pictorial woven tapestries that were included in the group’s important series of exhibitions.  In the early 1970s, exhibitions were mounted at the newly founded Studio Museum in Harlem and the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He has been an active member of AfriCOBRA since 1969. Jones-Henderson is one of the longest continual active members. In 2011, the documentary AfriCOBRA: Art for the People was produced by the TV Land Network. The documentary chronicles the history and celebrates the contributions of AfriCOBRA to the 1960s Black Arts Movement.

Jones-Henderson wields color as an instrument of expression which he equates to a musician’s use of tone and sound – meaningfully contrasting, pairing, and creating hues that generate “visual music”. He works across mediums, speaking to larger themes of uplift and connectivity. Jones-Henderson’s passion for music translates to his artistic practice and is thematically present in many of his pieces.

Over the course of his career, Jones-Henderson has served in various academic positions at Malcolm X College in Chicago, Massachusetts College of Art, Emerson College in Boston, Roxbury Community College, and Vermont College of Norwich University in Montpelier. In 2005, Jones-Henderson was appointed associate professor of art at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. In addition, Jones-Henderson served as artist-in-residence at Towson University, Syracuse University, and the McDonough School. Jones-Henderson has been honored with Artist Residencies, Lecture in Residencies, Visiting Artist, Juror, and Curator of numerous exhibitions and panels. Jones-Henderson exhibited as a member of AfriCOBRA in the 58th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy in 2019 and a “50 Yr. Retrospective” exhibition at the ICA Boston in 2022.

His work has lasting influences both locally and globally with a focus on uplifting the African Diaspora. Today, he continues to inspire others as a mentor, community member and practicing artist.