Join Us for a special reception and viewing of Art of Jazz with the Watauga Arts Council June 11 from 5-7PM at the Appalachian Theatre!

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I’m thrilled to share my musical portrait, Mary Lou Williams, was accepted into the juried exhibit, Art of Jazz with the Watauga Arts Council where it will be on display May 5–June 30. Join us at the Appalachian Theatre on June 11 for a special reception leading into the High Country Jazz Festival!

Capturing the Movement of Jazz

The Watauga Arts Council is excited to display The Art of Jazz: An Artistic Response on its main gallery’s walls from May 5 to June 30.

This exhibit comprises 7 local artists and 11 works that explore the spirit, emotion, and cultural significance of jazz through visual art.

Inspired by the question “What does jazz mean to you?”, the works on view offer personal and creative interpretations of this dynamic musical genre.

Join us for a special reception on June 11 from 5-7 PM at the App Theatre. Meet the artists, experience the exhibition, and enjoy a cash bar.

Mary Lou Williams, celebrates the mother of Jazz through rhythm and movement, personifying her weaving of sound and instruments of the Big Band era. Williams’ piano is center stage in vivid colour and bold application mirroring the joyful dance of improv—the chorus in her work.

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The Band is an expressive return to a subject I explored first in my career, musical instruments. Embracing experimentation, improvisation, and spontaneity, these instruments reflect the joy, rhythm, and personal nostalgia music stirs in me. Loosely rendered from memory, each piece captures not just how music looks, but how it feels. When the instability of life needs grounding, music brings me back on beat.

Mary Lou Williams — 30x24” - $1099 available purchase exclusively through the Watauga Arts Council throughout the duration of the show — acrylic painting on gallery wrapped canvas, wired and ready to hang.