Adams discovered his passion early in life. As a child, he spent a lot of time alone, the result of multiple operations to correct his vision and nose. The young Adams found solace in drawing, falling in love with white paper and its endless possibilities, and said that time brought him to art.  

He attended Rutgers University initially for engineering but struggled with calculus. Adams then told his mother he wanted to be an artist and was bolstered in his quest by a professor at Mason Gross School of the Arts who spoke of his student’s talent and potential.

“He talked my mother into letting me switch my major to art, and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” Adams said. “I haven’t looked back since then.” 

The alumnus briefly returned to the New Brunswick campus earlier this year to showcase part of his collection at the Zimmerli Art Museum for the exhibit “Alonzo Adams: A Griot’s Vision.” 

With “These Eyes Have Seen,” the storyteller hopes to leave his mark on the Rutgers University–Camden campus community. “I’ve been on this earth for 62 years, and I’ve seen a lot. I’ve experienced a lot. With this exhibit, I want to let the world see what I’ve seen through my lens,” he said. “I try to paint things that touch my heart, and hopefully my work will touch people’s hearts.” 

ABOUT ALONZO ADAMS

Alonzo Adams (b. 1961) is a painter raised in Plainfield, New Jersey. He earned a BFA from Rutgers-New Brunswick, Mason Gross School of the Arts in 1984 and an MFA from University of Pennsylvania in 1991. His work has been featured in many venues, including Howard University, the Morris Museum, Forbes Galleries, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. In 2004, Adams was one of the first inductees into the Rutgers African American Alumni Alliance’s Hall of Fame.