‘Coming across a Bison Jack poem is a bit like discovering a pool of drinkable water in a post-apocalyptic landscape’ — Laura Zurowski
Promise me That You Will Not live an ordinary life
The matchbook prints are an ode, of sorts, to the days when names, numbers and brief flirtations were scribbled in late-night matchbooks and slipped into the hands of romantic possibility. CLICK IMAGE
Be There PSA (for IRC 2020)
This PSA for the INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE features the Bison Jack poem 'Be There' and is a collaboration with people from across the globe in the hope of bringing awareness not only to the work of the IRC, but also to encourage us to be the best versions of ourselves as we tackle the discussion on how we move forward after Covid to create a more responsible and sustainable world for us all. CLICK IMAGE
Under the Bridge
Commissioned for the A-Town Festival, this 90ft by 40ft installation was made more dramatic by its site-specific location beneath the Talmadge bridge that crosses the Savannah River. CLICK IMAGE
The Bull and the Beast
In 2015, we began translating Bison Jack into large scale installations. For ‘The Bull and the Beast’ we created the poems and visuals each day, for 7 days, then projected the finished results at night. Supported by Sun Trust Bank , Flatt Magazine, and Levy Jewelers.
'A wonderful discovery... A true innovator..' —Novus Litera
COA
‘The disconnect that Bison Jack purposefully creates between himself, his work and the viewer is a real revelation. His journal has given me a profound coping mechanism that might have saved me from my younger, tormented self.’
‘Promise Me…. is a change in direction, not just in terms of scale and visual vocabulary but in the questions (Beck) asks. It is as though he is stripping everything away in search of a place that exists in each of us; a place we have forgotten how to reach; a place where we all speak and feel the same language.’ —WithGuitars
Features and Interviews
“In today’s day and age, it’s hard to become a well-known poet, let alone a respected one. I somehow found someone who is both. Jason Armstrong Beck, the artistic polymath behind Tumblr sensation The Journal of Bison Jack, spoke to me about his work, his efforts as a photographer, and his ultimate pivot towards poetry.”
SELECTED WORKS
I started The Journal of Bison Jack at a time in my life when I felt I had lost my way a little and I hoped the daily ritual of keeping a journal might help me retrace my steps and remake myself. Little did I know that 12 years later it would have instilled in me an entirely new sense of purpose.
archive
Click on the image to access the daily journal as well as the archive.
Peculiar endeavors
Several years ago, for reasons both anthropological and what-the-hell-why- not, I began posting ‘Bison Jacks’ in the Missed Connection section of Craigslist. Some of those posts were discovered, stored and shared by the missed connection detectives at Lovelorn Poets.
About
‘I used to see the world through a photographer’s eyes as it allowed me both the intimacy and detachment I craved, but it was only when I started keeping this journal that I began to look at myself.’
All photography by Keith Morgan, Parker Stewart, Sam Beetler, Christian Rodriguez, Jason Armstrong Beck and Tim Almodovar