Madam from Fruitvale and her Dog, 2003. Cast Bronze. Courtesy of the Artist. Photograph by Jonathan Castillo.
MASTER METALSMITH
PRESTON JACKSON
A HIDDEN CULTURE
OCT. 2, 2024 – JAN. 26, 2025
Keeler and Gasparrini Galleries
Content Warning: ​This exhibition includes imagery and narratives that contain sensitive subject matter including pregnancy, childbirth, racial violence, racial slurs, sexual assault, slavery, violence and war.
We proudly recognize Preston Jackson as our 38th Master Metalsmith. In Jackson’s words, the exhibition “reveals history that has been buried, forgotten, or deemed unimportant by society.” The exhibition brings together sixteen freestanding sculptures in cast bronze and four paintings by the prolific and esteemed Preston Jackson that give voice to perspectives previously overlooked by history books. In addition, a monumental cast bronze triptych will be displayed at the Memphis Botanic Garden.
Preston Jackson was born in Decatur, Illinois. He attended Millikin University while working at Revere Copper & Brass, and playing jazz guitar with his popular group, Preston Jackson and the Rhythm Aces. Jackson enrolled in Southern Illinois University where he earned his B.F.A., and he obtained his M.F.A. degree in sculpture from the University of Illinois. Jackson is professor emeritus of sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and owner of The Side View Gallery, home of the Contemporary Art Center in Peoria, Illinois. As an artist, Jackson specializes in bronze and steel sculpture and painting. Best known for his work with bronze castings, Jackson has also created two-dimensional pieces and large monuments.  Jackson’s public works are installed across Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, and South Carolina.
Jackson was selected as a 2014 Southern Illinois University Distinguished Alumnus, was awarded two Regional Emmys and was a 1998 Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. In 2020, Black Art in America called Jackson “One of the Greatest Black Artists of Our Time.”
METAL MUSEUM x MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
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Tales of the River Cities, 2024. Cast bronze, steel frame. Courtesy of the Artist. Photograph by Jonathan Castillo.
Metal Museum and Memphis Botanic Garden Members can present their valid membership card for entry at either organization from October 2, 2024, to January 26, 2025, for regular daily admission.
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Jackson’s Tales of the River Cities, a cast bronze relief, will be installed in the Memphis Botanic Garden in September and will remain on view until late January. A ticket share program will be in place to allow visitors to either the Metal Museum or the Botanic Garden to use their same ticket at both locations for the duration of the installation of the piece. Limit to one visit per organization per ticket for regular daily admission and does not include entry to ticketed and/or special events. Visitors at either organization can present their receipt for entry.
"This work reflects a gentle, but personal look at our history—it is an examination of life in the United States, particularly the South, from the 17th century and on into the early 20th century. It is not confrontational—but it speaks the truth about treatment of African American people in this country. The purpose of the work is to preserve cultural history and explicate attitudes within and outside the African American community. It helps one to understand the value in preserving the behaviors of people arising from a struggle such as slavery over hundreds of years and explains how the aftermath still affects us today. The narratives which accompany the sculptures are a type of historical fiction, drawn from research as well as from family memoirs."
–– Preston Jackson
Preston in his studio, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist.
Photograph by Natalie Jackson.
This exhibition is supported by the Hyde Family Foundation, the Windgate Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Collaborative support provided by Memphis Botanic Garden.
