Montclair, NJ – Montclair Art Museum (MAM) and the African American Cultural Committee (AACC) at MAM today announce the Ben F. Jones Scholarship Fund in honor of AACC Co-Founder Ben F. Jones, international artist, and art professor.
The vision of the Ben F. Jones Scholarship Fund is for students to have transformative experiences in the visual arts through exploring their creative voice, building portfolios and personal connections, and increasing confidence and self-esteem.
“My advice to aspiring artists is…to get all the art exposure you can get and one of the best places to get it is at a museum…take workshops and have contact with great teachers and other young people who are also aspiring artists.” ~ Ben Jones
“I feel so blessed to have had a good art education — especially in high school — because I had good art teachers and it really exposed me to the outside world. It helped me to know what’s important in art.” says Jones, who adds, “This scholarship is very important to the community because it will allow a lot of young people from the inner cities who don’t have the funds to study at a museum.”
“Ben Jones is not only a great artist and a wonderful human being, but he is also a prolific mentor of artistic talent. The number of internationally successful artists who count Ben Jones as their mentor is astounding,” says AACC Chair William Skeet Jiggetts. “The African American Cultural Committee is proud to present this opportunity for artistic instruction and mentorship to young, aspiring artists from our communities, in his name.”
“The Museum is excited to establish this scholarship fund in honor of Ben Jones as co-founder of the AACC. This new opportunity will help carry out his commitment to making art education accessible to future generations of working artists,” says MAM’s Executive Director, Ira Wagner.
This Ben F. Jones Scholarship Fund is available for high school students ages 16+ to take adult Yard School of Art classes or workshops during the school year or summer. The scholarship is for students from households demonstrating financial need and covers tuition and the art supplies required for the class.
To learn more about applying for a scholarship or contributing to the fund, visit https://www.montclairartmuseum.org/BenJones