Jas Mardis
More of the Story and Behind Our Curtains
A Collaborative Exhibition of the ArtCentre of Plano and the Plano African American Museum (PAAM)
Jas Mardis:
Art, Storytelling, and Heritage
Growing up in Oak Cliff, Dallas, art was everywhere—bottle trees, crocheted flower pot holders, tree houses, go-carts, painted cars, and porches filled with storytelling, folklore, and Doo-Wop harmonies. Local folk artists displayed carvings and sculptures in makeshift junkyards. Quilts hung on clotheslines, seen as practical bedding rather than art.
In the late '60s, during elementary school social studies, we were introduced to "Black Art in America," which highlighted artists like Romare Bearden, Charles White, Jacob Lawrence, and Elizabeth Catlett. The community’s relationship with art was organic—fueled by gospel greats like Andre Crouch and Billy Preston—and art began to appear in homes.
Older family members passed down traditional crafts like quilting, woodburning, and basket weaving, enriching our cultural identity at a time when libraries, community centers, and galleries were not always welcoming. This generational creativity united and defined our community.
More of the Story
on view at the ArtCentre of Plano
The origin story of the fabric and leather portrait art, “More of the Story,” is an exhibition of the artist’s creative storytelling through fabric, wood, leather portraits, assemblage and messages of culture, community, hopefulness and invitation into his varied canvases.
His series, “Just A Crown: 40 of the Crowns Worn by Black Women in Their Lifetime” has evolved from canvas prints and now inhabit new narratives in cloth, wood and metals. Mardis’ “Grandma Adla” silhouette walks through the canvas and invites viewers to recall the influence and steady hand of the Elders, alongside figures from African cave drawings and iconography.
The introduction of wood and iron pieces in this exhibition denotes an ever-expanding artist’s pallet. “More of the Story” is a documentary for the living artist and is accompanied by live exchanges and talks for the community to know, see, understand and query the mind, heart and soul of Jas Mardis, The Artist.
Behind Our Curtains
on view at the Plano African American Museum
The Plano African American Museum hosts an interactive outdoor installation by Artist Jas Mardis, bringing stories from Plano’s historic Douglass Community to life. Mardis uses doors, screens, and windows in shadow box forms to depict 12 scenes from 1870 to the 1930s. These stories unfold along a walking path on the museum grounds, creating a "walk-through-the-neighborhood" experience.
One key feature is the legendary Story Stump, a waist-high tree stump at the rear of the property. As visitors approach each structure, narrations are triggered, sharing stories of the era in one to four minutes.
The stories highlight community figures like Lacy Drake, who hosted Saturday movie nights, "Uncle" Jim Turley, a cobbler who served both Black and White patrons, and Jim Thomas, Plano’s first Black volunteer fireman and namesake of the local school.