Exhibit Review: "Echoes from the Arc"
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by Iliyan Hoskins, age 12
Simpson Street Free Press recently visited the James Watrous Gallery, located inside the Overture Center, to view an exhibit titled “Echoes from the Arc.” This exhibit featured artwork by local artist Jerry Butler, who uses his art to depict individuals who have shaped African-American history and to inspire all of us to help create a more just society.
We were welcomed by Jennifer Graham, the exhibition and outreach coordinator at the James Watrous Gallery. During our visit, we got to meet Butler personally, and he taught us about the historical figures and events portrayed in his works and what inspired him. Butler writes: “The purpose of my exploration is to emphasize the creativity that emerges in the center of a world of disenfranchisement.”
Jerry Butler was born in Mississippi in 1947, and was the oldest of nine siblings. He started college at the age of 16 and graduated at 19. “Through all of that,” he said, “I could not write. In reading, I was barely competent.” [Read More]