Robert Jones Jr

Kojo Kamau was born October 11, 1939 in Columbus, Ohio. His interest in photography came about at an early age and, as a teenager, he purchased his first camera. A 1957 graduate of East High School, Kojo was enrolled in art school for three years before entering into military service with the United States Air Force in 1960. While enlisted, he served as editor for the base newspaper in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Upon receiving his honorable discharge, he returned to Columbus and began working as a photographer in the medical illustration field. Some years later, he opened his own studio and helped establish an organization devoted to creating opportunity and exposure for other African-American artists in the community. Kojo has exhibited his work throughout the Midwest and collected numerous awards including the Ohioana Library Career Award and the Columbus Winterfair Award of Excellence. His forty year photography retrospective, sponsored by the Upper Arlington (Ohio) Cultural Arts Commission, was voted one of the best exhibitions by The Columbus Dispatch. He received the 2012 fellowship named in memory of former Greater Columbus Arts Council President Raymond J. Hanley. In commemoration of Kojo’s 70th birthday, the Columbus Museum of Art presented Kojo: Fifty Years in Photography. The exhibition included more than sixty photographs, both color and black and white, reflecting his five decades of work in the medium. The exhibition addressed themes that run throughout Kojo's photography career such as community, travels, portraits of local and international artists and musicians, and political and social issues. Through the many images he has captured over the years, Kojo has helped bring a greater understanding to the African-American experience and enabled the visual history of America to be documented and preserved for future generations. The work of Kojo Kamau can be found in the permanent collections of the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus Foundation, Hilton Columbus Downtown, Central Ohio Transit Authority and the Ohio Supreme Court. His photographs have been exhibited in one-man and invitational exhibitions throughout the United States including the Indianapolis Art Center, Dillard University, Bowling Green State University, Northern Kentucky University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Akron University, Ohio University, the Chicago Center of Science and Industry and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. In Columbus, he has exhibited at the Columbus Museum of Art, the Ohio Art Council's Riffe Gallery, The Ohio State University, Columbus College of Art and Design, King Arts Complex and the Kiaca Gallery. Kojo’s international exhibitions include Gallery 44 Center for Contemporary Photography, Toronto, Canada; Culturefest '93, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa; and the Central Bank of the Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas. Kojo, who has captured local and national celebrities on film, studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design, The Ohio State University and the Rochester Institute of Technology. He retired from a position as Chief Medical Photographer at The Ohio State University and as a photography instructor at Columbus State Community College. On December 12, 2016, at the age of 77, Kojo Kamau entered eternal life while at Grant Medical Center in Columbus. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dr. Mary-Ann Williams, and parents, Elizabeth Jones Perkins, James Perkins and Roberts Jones, Sr. Those who remain to cherish memories of Kojo are his sons, Kenya (Joyce) Jones and Kayin (Shinnell) Jones; brothers, Charles Jones, Joe Perkins, and Marvin (Genevieve) Perkins; former wife and mother of his children, Mary Skinner-Jones; a host of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends, including dear friend Pepper Johnson. Reception: King Arts Complex 867 Mt. Vernon Ave. Columbus, OH 43203