The new year is bringing new visual dynamics at the Community Council for the Arts.
New exhibits will begin unveiling next week, with a community-wide reception signaling the grand opening Jan. 17.
The Hampton Gallery will house works by Nigerian native Tunde Afolayan. His paintings explore color and are infused with spiritualism and symbolism. He is a graduate of the Yaba College of Technology’s Yaba School Lagos-Nigeria, and the University of Missouri-Columbia, Mo.
His color pallet tempered with strong and vibrant hues exemplifies his powerful traditional African roots and aesthetics.
The Permanent Collection Gallery will display a retrospective of the late Chick Wooten. Wooten grew up on a farm in La Grange and began making sketches in 1959 after moving to New Jersey. In the ’70s, he returned home and began receiving widespread recognition for his art. His work is best known for depicting the Carolina countryside, with the central themes being family life, togetherness especially in tough times, and the importance of faith and community traditions.
Audrey Coward’s works will be on display in the Minges/Rayner Gallery. Coward, an African American Kinston artist, paints and draws still lifes, lighthouses and scenes portraying life in Kinston and North Carolina neighborhoods and environments.
The African American Music Trail Photography Exhibition will be on display through Jan. 19 in the Music Room Gallery. This is a traveling exhibit which celebrates the rich musical culture of Kinston.
It is a collaborative project of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources and the N.C. Department of Transportation, with local arts council partners. It recognizes the achievements of musicians from Eastern N.C. and documents and develops the music and cultural assets of eight Eastern N.C. counties.
Artwork by students of Laura Jackson, art teacher at South Lenoir High School, will hang in the children’s Gallery.