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CONFEDERATE CURRENCY: 

THE COLOR OF MONEY

A collection by artist John W. Jones revealing the truth of the institution of slavery.

Confederate Currency: The Color of Money, is a collection of 300 paintings by artist, John W. Jones. Drawn from the money notes of nineteenth-century America, these paintings consider the inextricable relationship between the enslavement of Africans and the foundation of American economic power.

Debates about how we remember the Confederacy continue in the present from flags to monuments, but the goal of this exhibition is healing through education.

Confederate Currency: The Color of Money is an art-based educational initiative featuring paintings of enslaved people discovered on confederate and southern states’ currency. Three hundred paintings by African American Artist, John W. Jones, provide a sense of dignity to the enslaved subjects while shedding new light on the relationship between slavery, institutional racism, and the economic making of America.

The Truth

Peoples of African descent, against their will, their lives and labor stolen, drove the greatest material enterprise in history — the building of the world’s most powerful economy. Through successive generations, African-Americans have suffered greatly under the weight of colonialism, anti-blackness, and racism. Despite these horrific injustices, what has emerged is a people of great resilience, depth of character, and an unparalleled culture of beauty and joy. According to Baha’i teachings, dating back more than a century, people of African descent are likened to the “pupil of the eye” through which the “light of the spirit shineth forth.”

IT'S...

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ABOUT THE ARTIST:  John W. Jones

John W. Jones, born on May 11, 1950 in Columbia, S.C., has been a freelance artist and illustrator for more than 25 years. Jones explores life through art. This multi-talented artist uses oils, acrylics and watercolors for his paintings. Striving for detail in light and reflection, he meticulously draws each painting first, and then layers it with color, resulting in realistic interpretations of everyday life and landscapes.

Mr. Jones is the artist and author of the book and traveling exhibition: ‘Confederate Currency: The Color of Money, Images of Slavery in Confederate and Southern States Currency’. The exhibition has been featured in some 260 top media outlets including The New York Times, Time Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, CNN, and National Public Radio.

Press & Reviews

Interview from the Miami Herald

Partners in Racial Justice Receives National Recognition from President Joe Biden

Miami Herald – The Color of Money (2021)

When Slaves and Currency Were One

A Look at the Color of Civil War Money

Banking on Slavery

Slavery’s Currency Invalidated

The Color of Money

Confederate money talks, activists say

Notes Inspire Artist’s Work

Protests in Acrylic