Nneka Jones, who calls herself an activist artist, is now celebrating a huge milestone.

Her work is being featured on the cover of the new issue of Time Magazine.

Jones says the magazine took note of her talents after she posted online of herself painting a portrait of George Floyd.

“I felt like this was something that was a social injustice that existed in a country that I'm now residing in. So I’m now a part of the culture, I’m now influencing the culture in some way,” she said.

Jones said once she posted the video with a few hashtags, her work took on a life of its own. “My email was actually blowing up, and one day I opened my laptop and I opened my email and I saw a potential assignment for Time magazine. And I said, this has to be a scam,” Jones explained.

It turns out it was the real deal, and after two months of talking back and forth, Jones got the go ahead. She says once it was all was said and done, she only had a couple of days to come up with cover art for the iconic magazine.

Oh, and Jones says the magazine didn’t want a painting. They wanted something from her other unique skill – hand embroidery.

“I usually take one week or more to produce a hand embroidered portrait, especially if it’s in detail. One week or more,” she said.

In just two days she came up with this embroidered piece of art.  The Trinidad and Tobago born artist moved to Florida to study art and business at the University of Tampa.

She said the artwork represents what’s going on in our country right now.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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The New American Revolution is a special project by Pharrell Williams, featuring a curation of essays and conversations examining America's racist past—and the potential for a more equitable future. "America was founded on a dream of a land where all men were created equal, that contained the promise of liberty and justice for all. But all has never meant Black people," writes @pharrell. "Like most Black Americans, I understand that all exists only in the augmented-reality goggles available to shareholders, power brokers and those lucky enough to get in on the initial public offering. But the ongoing protests for equity and accountability that have overtaken cities across the nation have made me feel something new that I can only describe with one word: American." Read more at the link in bio. Artwork by Nneka Jones (@artyouhungry) for TIME

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“It’s not that the piece is erasing the history of America, and it’s not that it’s destroying the flag in any way. It’s just a form of reshaping and remolding and showing that it’s a work in progress for everyone in America and outside America to let these Black voices be heard and create more equality in the future,” she said.

“So, that’s kind of why the piece has the needle in it so you see that it’s intentional. And by the end of the piece you kind of see the actual stiches, loosely. Because you want people to see it’s a work in progress.”

The latest issue of Time Magazine, where that cover art is featured, is out now.