Daniel Elwyn Jones MBE (artist), known as Dan Jones, is an activist, artist, collector of children’s playground games and has been a human rights campaigner for over 50 years. Now in his 80s, he continues to paint and is an Education Advisor for the human rights organisation, Amnesty International.
Amnesty International
editJones is one of Amnesty’s longest-term supporters[1] having assisted his father, Elwyn Jones, to help launch Amnesty in 1961 which at the time he believed to be an ambitions one year campaign.
Jones continues to work tirelessly for Amnesty, even though he is now in his late 80s. In his current role as an Education Advisor Jones has visited hundreds of schools and spoken to thousands of students to help educate in the fundamentals of human rights.
Awards and Honours
editJones was awarded an MBE in 2001 for services to international human rights. Jones was nominated as a local hero and reached the finals of the 14th Pride of Britain Awards.
Art
editJones [2] [3] has always been a prolific artist, producing paintings, murals, political posters and banners for trade unions and local causes, as well as illustrating two books of Nursery Rhymes, Inky, Pinky, Ponky [4] and Mother Goose comes to Cable Street [5].
Many of his paintings and murals depict East End life and capture much of the social and political history of the area over the last 50 years.
Jones instigated the creation of the Cable Street Mural, whilst Secretary of the Hackney Trades Council.
His most famous political paintings include images from the 1972 dock strike and the Blair Peach funeral march in 1979[6].
He is featured in East End Vernacular [7], Artists Who Painted London's East End Streets in the 20th Century.
Collector of Children's Playground Songs
editJones has been an avid collector of children's playground songs, over many decades. He has recently lodged his collection at the British Library Sound archive. His collection was a long term exhibit at the V&A Museum of Childhood and he has given a number of talks [1] and interviews[8] on the subject, including a contribution to the BBC Radio 4 programme, A Sailor Went to Sea Sea Sea.
Family Life
editJones is the son of the artist Pearl “Polly” Binder and barrister and Labour politician, Elwyn Jones. He has two sisters, Josephine and Lou.
Jones is married to Labour Councillor, Denise Jones. They continue to live in Cable Street, Shadwell, East London, having moved there in 1967. They have three children and five grandchildren.
- ^ McVeigh, Tracy (2011-05-29). "Amnesty International marks 50 years of fighting for free speech". Guardian.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Dan Jones, Artist | Spitalfields Life". Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ^ Barnett, Adam. "New exhibition by artist Dan Jones explores life in the East End". East London Advertiser. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ^ Inky pinky ponky. Rosen, Michael, 1946-, Steele, Susanna., Jones, Dan, 1940-. Picture Lions. 1990. ISBN 0-00-663612-8. OCLC 22629577.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ chosen by Rosemary Stones and Andrew Mann of Children's Rights Workshop ; ill. by Dan Jones (1977). Mother Goose comes to Cable Street : nursery rhymes for today. London: Kestrel Books. ISBN 0-7226-5277-1. OCLC 22008900.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Artwork by Dan Jones". London Against Racism. 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ^ East End vernacular : artists who painted London's East End streets in the 20th century. Gentle Author,, Nunnery (Gallery : London, England), Southampton Art Gallery., Townhouse (London, England). London. ISBN 0-9957401-1-9. OCLC 988165432.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Subversive rhymes are child's play". the Guardian. 2007-12-16. Retrieved 2020-10-25.