‘Alchemical Abstractions’ by De’Joneiro Jones on view at The Griot through September 28

 De’Joneiro Jones is involved in the St. Louis arts scene in several capacities.  He is an artist. He buys and sells art. He connects other St. Louis artists to opportunities and institutions. But if I were to label him, I would call him a truth dealer. 

“One of the key things about me is that I was a businessperson before I was an artist,” Jones said. “I don’t have all of these dysfunctional hang ups, because I am self-made.” 

His latest exhibition entitled “Alchemical Abstractions” opened last week at the Griot Museum of Black History and will continue through September 28. 

“My intention is to get people familiar and to let them know that abstraction is something you don’t have to be afraid of,” Jones said. “People will say, ‘Oh, I don’t get it.’ Everything ain’t gonna be for you to get. But we can talk about it. You don’t know what you might get if you’re not exposed to it – and I’m not hiding behind broad and ambiguous terms.”

Jones found his way to art through mentorship. He was a part of a program that was then called St. Paul Saturdays – now known as Saturday Boys Academy. The program was founded by renowned pastor and community leader Rev. Dr. William Gillespie and famed educator Dr. William Harrison. It was housed at St. Paul AME Church, where Gillespie served as senior pastor. The organization helped Black boys and teens like Jones see beyond their surroundings as gang violence had a chokehold on several neighborhoods within the region during the early 1990s. He grew up on the West side of the city near Hodiamont and Julian in Alpha Gardens. At the time it was a Blood set. 

“I was born at Homer G. Phillips hospital, so it doesn’t get more St. Louis than that,” Jones said. “But my outlook has always been much deeper than Kingshighway and Natural Bridge.” A big part of who he is today is thanks to the monthly visits the group made to the Saint Louis Art Museum. It wasn’t long before Jones began traveling to the museum on his own.  “It’s free to go in and you meet all kinds of people,” he said. “I just developed an affinity for art.”

By the time he was 18, he was collecting art. He would hit up auctions and estate sales. He would flip his purchases for a profit and use the surplus funds to buy original art from St. Louis artists. “That’s how I’ve been making it all these years,” Jones said. “By buying and selling other art to help other artists see the value in what they are doing, so they don’t play themselves.”

He seeks to encourage buyers as much as creators – particularly when it comes to supporting the Black artists who are often slighted, snubbed and unfairly compensated for their work. He spoke from experience about how the art business can be mutually beneficial for the buyer and the artist. 

“When you are buying original art, it is an investment tool,” Jones said. “You are not just spending frivolously. It’s not like you are going to Target and buying a poster. The value of artwork steadily grows.”

Dealing art was his passion, but his main hustle was as the owner of a clothing store/cleaners. He was in the art business for a dozen years before he picked up a brush to create. 

“Early on, a lot of people didn’t think I made my own work,” Jones said. “Some people even say, ‘He ain’t doing nothing but throwing paint. Anybody can do that.” I say, ‘you’re right. But you have to have courage.’ You are dealing with creativity – so this is God’s work we are dealing with. It hits a little different when you are working in purpose. There are things you can’t explain.”

He now earns his living solely through the arts, and is staple on the scene in his own right.

“I’m not poppin’ bottles, I’m poppin’ colors,” Jones said. 

His work has recently been showcased at the University City Public Library and Wildfruits Project in Dutchtown.  He has his own gallery on Cherokee Street where he buys, sells and displays his art and the art of other St. Louis based practitioners. He credited several individuals who helped him on his path. Adrienne Davis – who hung his very first painting outside her office door at Washington University. There was also Freida Wheaton, the late Dr. Lee Blount – and many others. 

“Dr. Blount was a huge supporter,” Jones said. “He really liked my work and would give me suggestions on who I should deal with and talk to – and I listened.”

He now provides that same type of counsel to emerging artists and buyers. 

“There is so much healing in art – and there is so much education in learning about it,” Jones said.  “And I’m proud of being a part of something that allows me to make a difference. We are only here for a short time. We might as well try leaving this world a little better than how we found it.”

“Alchemical Abstractions” will be on display at The Griot Museum of Black History, 2505 St. Louis Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63106. For more information, visit www.thegriotmuseum.com.