Sam Duckor-Jones

Sam Duckor-Jones (born 1982) is a New Zealand sculptor, poet, and artist.

Biography Duckor-Jones grew up in Wellington, in a Jewish family. His father is the New Zealand author, Lloyd Jones, and his brother is Avi Duckor-Jones, who won season one of Survivor NZ. He is the nephew of businessman and politician Sir Bob Jones.

Duckor-Jones lived in Featherston for many years, relocating there from Wellington because of the more affordable rent to live and have a studio. In 2021, he moved to Greymouth to pursue his Gloria art project.

Sculpture

Duckor-Jones started his artistic career as a sculptor, mostly clay pieces of men. His sculptures have been displayed at the Bowen Gallery in Wellington, Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History in Masterton, and the Auckland Botanic Gardens in Manurewa.

Duckor-Jones was a finalist in the 2014 Portage Ceramic Awards. He was the 2016 artist-in-residence at Wellesley College in Eastbourne, and the 2017 resident at Scots College in Wellington.

Poetry In 2017, Duckor-Jones completed his Master of Arts (MA) degree in creative writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington. His first book of poetry, People from the Pit Stand Up, published in 2018, was based on the work that he created during his MA programme. He eventually dropped out of the degree, but the poems in the book drew on multiple scientific themes and words. Chris Tse has said that Duckor-Jones' poetry has influenced his own writing.

Gloria In 2021, Duckor-Jones bought St Andrew's Church in Greymouth, and has since converted it into a "queer place of worship"; a sculpture, named Gloria. The structure was built by the Anglican Church in 1939, Three men appeared in the Greymouth District Court, where they all plead guilty and were discharged without conviction. A fourth offender pled guilty in the Wellington District Court and was also discharged without conviction.

Published works