Art Galleries in Cincinnati Area | Favorite Arts

Current Installations

"A Sort of Homecoming"

Heather Jones uses abstraction and color both to comment on the historical and socio-political relationship between women and textiles, and as an expression of matrilineal connections— gender, place, time, and culture. Steeped in the history of quilt making and a vast group of unknown female makers, Jones continues the story of geometric abstraction inherent to women’s patchwork found in the Southern and Appalachian regions of the US. Her content is unequivocally feminist, choosing the medium of fabric rather than paint, in reference and reverence to the fact that throughout history it was often the only option women were encouraged to use to make art.

Conceptually, Jones carries on the tradition of woman as maker, pushes the boundaries between fine art and craft, and questions the definition of painting. Her sewn textiles document the story of our current world, particularly female narratives often neglected from history. By working within the realm of geometric compositions, Jones creates a universal visual language to tell these stories, using textiles as a reference to issues of domesticity.

In 2019, Jones was selected as an artist-in-residence for Kehinde Wiley’s inaugural class at Black Rock Senegal. Profoundly moved by the experience, Jones’ current body of work investigates the influence of traditional African patchwork on American patchwork from the South, and how these shared traditions connect us with our ancestors.