Preston Eugene Jackson is an American painter, sculptor and educator who has created many public art sculptures in the Central Illinois area. He works in metal, both steel and foundry cast metals, and also paints. His paintings and sculptures cover many styles, from abstract to "emotionally charged realism." In 1998 he was named the Laureate of the

Lincoln Academy of Illinois The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the ''Order of Lincoln'', the highest award given ...

and received the Order of Lincoln Medallion. He owns The Raven Gallery, home of the Contemporary Art Center in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Centr ...

. His traveling sculpture exhibit "Fresh from Julieanne’s Garden" features more than 100 unique bronze castings of people of color telling fictionalized stories of their lives from the 17th through 20th centuries. Jackson received a Regional Emmy for hosting "Legacy in Bronze" a television show featuring these sculptures. In 2018 he was voted one of the best Illinois artists of all time as part of The Illinois Top 200 project. Jackson began his career as a professor of art at

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. History Western Illin ...

from 1972 to 1989. He later moved to the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mil ...

in 1989 as a professor of sculpture. He was appointed chair of the Sculpture Department from 1994 through 1996 and is currently a professor emeritus.

Education

Jackson received his BFA from

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

and his MFA degree from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Unive ...

in 1972.

Personal life

Jackson was born on March 1, 1944, in Decatur, Illinois. The son of Shirley and T.J.Jackson, he grew up one of ten children in Decatur Illinois. He and his wife Melba have two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Preston Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists African-American contemporary artists American contemporary painters American abstract artists American male painters 20th-century African-American painters 21st-century African-American artists 20th-century American male artists