Friedman's work has been honored through several grants, awards, and public commissions throughout his career. His work is displayed in mural and sculpture form at the Nathan Cummings Foundation in New York; he was granted a Residency Grant at the Ossabaw Island Project in Georgia; and he was a University Scholar for Princeton University.

Jon has held solo exhibitions in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Santa Monica, California. His work is displayed in such prominent corporate collections as American Telegraph & Telephone, the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C., the American Broadcasting Company in New York, and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals.

Also numerous in length is the list of group shows in which Jon has participated. Recently, he was featured for three years in the Brendan Walter Gallery in Santa Monica, California; participated in the For the Birds show at the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts in Racine, Wisconsin, and has shown his work in the Uptown Gallery in New York City.

Friedman's education is varied, having won a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Princeton University in addition to his studies and degrees at the Corcoran Museum School, the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, and the Cranbrook Academy of Art.