Edwin Buggage Editor-in-Chief Data News Weekly
The Gift of Art
Jamar Pierre’s colorful, poignant, and powerful artwork has been displayed all over the over world, but he continues to represent New Orleans, the city that’s given his birth to his creative gifts.
There is no genre, word or descriptor that can quite delineate New Orleans native J. Pierre’s style. Different industry jargon is fitting such as texture, outlines, abstract, expressionism, boldness, surrealism, conceptual, Rodrigue-esque and juxtaposition…however while all elements encompassed in Pierre’s strokes there are no single genre – bending word that totally enunciates the dynamic themes of vitality and vibrancy throughout J. Pierre’s art. It simply has and attracts joy to it, further invoking an emotional response from appreciators and his subjects alike. It is something that cannot be whittled into a label. It radiates life.
“I grew up without a lot of things materially but was rich in ways surrounded with so much creativity.”
Citizen of the World
“I am a Citizen of the World, a Son of New Orleans. Culture plays a mighty role as my art is so heavily intertwined with its subjects. It is their vibrance, their vitality, their motion and their stillness that evokes something deeper from me to seek to educate, inspire and melt antiquated stereotypes using bold colors, rich histories, and dynamic contrasts, all in paint. My art is a translation of the rhythms of the life around me. In part it is soul, in part it is heart, and in full it is love.”
Telling the Story of a People
As a visual artist his work is historically and culturally relevant. He credits Jerome Smith, head of Tambourine and Fan, for this outlook, “Jerome “Big Duck” Smith is a mentor and someone who influenced how I produce art and my world view. That art is not about painting pretty pictures, but to tell the stories of a people that record their history and to inspire them.”
Making His Mark in the Arts
Over the years he’s worked doing corporate and private commissions, album covers, public murals and artist-in-residence programs as far away as Canada, Iceland, and Costa Rica. Also, others he has worked with include, Essence Music Festival, Beyoncé, and HBO’s “Tremé” have also been among his clients. But Pierre notes, that he will always find the time to work with the youth. “I believe that it is important that working with young people is what gives me the most satisfaction. I can say that working as an artist is something that kept me off the streets and gave me a positive outlet and a voice. This is something I want to pass onto the next generation,” says Pierre.
The Making of History
Over the years he’s continued to be a cultural ambassador to the City of New Orleans. With his paintbrush, he is recording the rich cultural heritage of a people. During the city’s 300-Year Anniversary of the Crescent City, Pierre was the official artist doing the painting for the official print.
“I am a gumbo,” says the artist, who celebrates the richness of his life and heritage and teaches others to do the same. “I try to bring mindfulness and consciousness and self-awareness to kids. Through creating murals, they get a sense of ownership and learn to work together as part of the community.”
Currently, he is creating a one-mile-long floodwall mural along the Tchoupitoulas Street Corridor that depicts a colorful timeline of this great diverse city and your organization can be a part of this monumental mural.
Also, he has had the privilege of partnering with four corporate sponsors and youth organizations to complete the first city block of the 10-block mural on Tchoupitoulas Street, as part of the city’s Beautification and Visual History/Education Program.
But the full story of the rich and diverse history of New Orleans has not fully been told…yet!
Many supporters, community sponsors and cultural/art enthusiasts consider this iconic project to be New Orleans own “Eiffel Tower.”
He is seeking supporters and hosting private tours of the floodwall mural. That way, he feels all can experience, in person, the impact this mural will have on the city for years to come!
Please join in on the historical Tchoupitoulas Street Corridor Floodwall Mural Project.
Jamar Pierre can be contacted by telephone at 504.656.5540 or E-mail: artbyjpierre@gmail.com
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