Vann Jones was 7 years old when he went to his first Butter fine art fair in 2022. Nearly 40 nationally known Black artists had works on exhibit, but Vann most liked the ceramic heads and skulls that were hand-cast and painted by Gary Gee.
So when he got the chance to meet Gee at Butter 2023, at the Stutz, Vann showed him pictures on his mom’s phone of art he’d made. Gee gave him a couple of tips and invited him to send more pics via Instagram messages, which Vann did every time he created something new.
“And Gary always responded,” Vann’s mom, Jill Jones, said.
The two artists have since developed a friendship that Gee, a 53-year-old teaching artist who’s mentored dozens of kids, calls “a genuine connection.”
“The kid’s a sponge ready to absorb knowledge. There’s also something about Vann that reminds me of myself as a kid,” he said.
Growing up in his grandparents’ house in Indianapolis, Gee remembers “constantly creating” when he was young — drawing on envelopes and paper bags and mimicking work by his older cousin, Kevin, along with art he saw on TV shows like ‘’Good Times’’ and album covers. But it wasn’t until about 10 years ago that he became a professional artist.
If you go
What: Butter fine art fair
Where: The Stutz, 1060 N. Capitol Ave.
When: Aug. 30-Sept. 1
Tickets: $40-$75. Kids under 18 get in free
Note: Follow Mirror Indy on Instagram for a report on Butter from our kid correspondent.
Vann’s art has already been exhibited and sold at local exhibits. He has pieces in two August shows: “Hip Hop Anthology V,” curated by Gee at the Indianapolis Artsgarden, and “Universal Drip III,” curated by Omar Rashan and Tony Radford at the Center for Black Literature & Culture at Central Library.
“I’ve told Vann that he definitely has the potential to be better than me someday — and as long as he keeps working, he will keep evolving with his artwork and skill set,” said Gee, a mixed-media artist whose work will be featured in the fourth annual Butter, Aug. 29-Sept. 1 at the Stutz. Kids under 18 can attend for free on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
After meeting at last year’s Butter, Gee and Vann didn’t see each other in-person again until this year. In January, Jones reached out to Gee to ask if she could buy one of his smaller clay pieces for Vann.
At the time, Gee was painting a mural on a six-foot fiberglass basketball sculpture — one of 24 displayed downtown during NBA All-Star Weekend in February – and he invited the Jones family to see his work-in-progress and meet the other artists.
Jill and Greg Jones made the two-hour drive north to Indianapolis from their hometown of Washington, Ind., with their two sons, surprising Vann with the visit to see Gee. And Gee surprised Vann with an artwork he’d made just for him.
“Vann was in shock,” his mom said.
“Gary gave me a piece that had a young boy with a crown that said, ‘This is my land,’ and I see myself in that piece,” Vann said.
Last summer, Gee welcomed Vann into his studio on North New Jersey Street, showing him his kiln and slab roller and introducing him to artists like Rashan, Bruce Armstrong, Tanía Michelle Wineglass and Kwazar Martin.
The two worked together on a clay piece. The sculpture collapsed.
“We had a little bit of frustration, a whole lotta fun and loads of laughter, but we had some horrible production that day,” Gee said. “That day taught us the fine balance of patience and we can’t rush the process.”
Jill Jones said that for Vann, who’s in third grade, drawing every day ‘’helps him clear his mind. If he has something in his head, he does what he has to, to get it out.’’
Vann makes oil pastel drawings of flowers or portraits of rappers like 2Pac and King Von. He creates from own imagination or from pictures on his iPad. He’s also made sculptures inspired by Gee’s ceramic skulls, including sometimes putting cigars in their mouths.
“He was getting in trouble at school for incorporating cigars into his artwork,” Gee said. “So I told him that I don’t want him to keep making pieces with cigars in their mouth or grow up to smoke just because I do!”
For the past several months, Gee’s been teaching Vann about different types of clay and ceramic tools, helping him make a few adjustments to his process, and encouraging him to try out different perspectives.
“He is good at giving advice, but lets you lose yourself in the art,” Vann said.
For Butter 2024, Gee has created a new collection of ceramic pieces, “pushing the narrative of storytelling with these characters in clay.’’ New techniques. More glazes and textures. And even some wearable pieces.
The first thing Vann plans to say to Gee when he sees him at Butter? “I’ll say, ‘What’s Good Bro?’ and I’ll be excited to talk about his new art.”
Amanda Kingsbury is Mirror Indy’s managing editor of innovation. You can reach her at amanda.kingsbury@mirrorindy.org, or follow her on social at @amandakingsbury.
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