Alonzo Adams describes himself as a griot, a storyteller whose works aspire to capture and immortalize contemporary Black experience. Born in 1961 in Harlem, New York, and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, Adams draws artistic inspiration from such artists as Charles White, Henry Ossawa Tanner, John Singer Sargent, Norman Rockwell, and Rembrandt. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions and private venues, including at Rutgers, Howard University, Novartis, Essence, and Absolut.  

At a crossroads in his career, he confessed to the esteemed poet Maya Angelou that he was searching for his artistic voice. He remembers her saying, “Go out into the world, soak it up like a sponge. Go back to your studio and wring it out.” These inspiring words have led him to travel widely—to Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and throughout America in search of life experiences. The exhibition, which includes work fresh from the artist’s studio and important paintings that have already been purchased by some of his many collectors, is a homecoming for the artist, who earned his BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts in 1984. In 2004, Adams was one of the first inductees into the Rutgers African American Alumni Alliance’s Hall of Fame.

Organized by Donna Gustafson, Chief Curator