Colorism: Looking Outside the Brown Paper Bag

Colorism: Looking Outside the Brown Paper Bag is a collection of drawing installations by artist Ashley A. Jones that explores the complex experience African-American women and girls have with the standardized ideas of beauty, while addressing issues surrounding hair discrimination, classism, acceptance, and identity. As a subcategory of racism,colorism has encouraged an ideological mode of thinking that places favoritism upon lighter skin tones, straight hair, and other European phenotypic characteristics. The works in this collection not only gives a visual narrative on the role society plays, but also the role in which African-Americans play in continuing this portrayal of intergroup discrimination, while asking the viewer to explore and judge for themselves where they stand in this controversial phenomenon.

Ashley A. Jones holds an MFA degree in drawing from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Studio Arts from Central State University in Ohio. Jones has taught as an adjunct drawing professor and has given numerous talks and lectures on her artwork and her research on colorism among African-American women.