Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Huntington and Julia Gibb.
Jeff and Julia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Julia Gibb and I met in art school in 1992. We attended the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC, where we began our collaborative journey creating pop-up art galleries throughout the city called Gallery 4 Now. After receiving our BFAs, I pursued an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before moving to New York City. Julia moved back to her hometown of Annapolis, Maryland where she lived on a boat, worked in landscaping, and taught yoga. We re-connected a couple months after 9/11, 2001, and were married shortly thereafter.
In 2002, I joined Julia in Annapolis. In 2004, we rented a studio where we operated a screen-printing business for the next thirteen years. Since 2004 until the present, Julia has studied and taught traditional hula. I also worked as an adjunct professor at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design and the George Washington University until 2016, when Julia and I started a non-profit arts project called Future History Now (FHN), creating murals with youth from underserved communities. Since 2016, we’ve created approximately 50 mural projects spanning 5 countries throughout the world.
As FHN began to receive more requests for projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations, our for-profit art business, Jahru Studio, also gained momentum. The demands of a heavy workload, along with the challenges of running a non-profit, have pushed us to evolve, ever seeking a balance between community-based mural projects, our personal artwork, and earning a living.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road as life tends to provide many twists and turns. In 2015, I created a mural for a local restaurant in Annapolis. The Historic Preservation Commission and political leaders took exception, and the city sued the businessman who commissioned the artwork. This lead the restaurant owner to run for Mayor and win. A series of conflicts ensued, resulting in a strategic reboot, cultivating more productive relationships within our cultural ecosystem. This evolution gave rise to Future History Now.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I am an avid ice hockey player.
Contact Info:
- Website: jahru.com / futurehistorynow.org
- Instagram: @jahru / @futurehistorynow.art
Image Credits
Future History Now
Julien Jacques
Jahru Studio
