Jennie C. Jones brings her signature fusion of visual art and sound to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with The Roof Garden Commission: Jennie C. Jones, Ensemble, on view from April 15th to October 19th, 2025. The installation transforms the museum’s iconic rooftop into a silent orchestra of monumental stringed sculptures, each shaped by the language of Minimalism and the lineage of Black sonic innovation. Composed of three striking forms—a zither, an Aeolian harp, and a one-string—Jones’s work channels both precision and restraint, inviting the breeze to activate its music.
Though the sculptures are not meant to be touched, they carry a charged sense of anticipation, referencing historical instruments and the quiet possibility of sound. The installation’s deep red aluminum surfaces and concrete elements subtly echo the architecture of the Met’s Great Hall, grounding the project in its surroundings. Jones drew from the museum’s vast collection of musical instruments and her research into African American craftsmanship to inform the design, including homages to musicians Moses Williams and Louis Dotson. A fourth sculptural element—a long red triangle tracing the footprint of the Met’s Modern and contemporary wing—signals a poignant transition: Ensemble is the final rooftop commission before the space closes for renovation.
David Breslin, curator of modern and contemporary art, noted that Jones’s work “asks us to listen more closely,” not only to sound, but to history and space. Max Hollein, the Met’s director, praised the way Ensemble “challenges visitors to engage with sculpture in new and unexpected ways.” While no live performances are officially scheduled, the artist invited musicians Tamika Reid and Luke Stewart to activate the sculptures in a filmed rooftop session. With Ensemble, Jones offers a moment of stillness and potential, letting form, sound, and memory reverberate above the city.
JENNIE C. JONES
Ensemble (2025), for the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART ROOF GARDEN COMMISSION
Photography by HYLA SKOPITZ, courtesy of the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, New York