We feature a variety of work from local and regionally known artists at the Wilson Arts Center, rotating work approximately every two months with opening receptions held on Thursday evenings from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Visiting artist lectures take place at 5:30 p.m., just prior to the opening reception.  All gallery exhibits and artist receptions are free and open to the public!

Visit our Gallery Shop at the Wilson Arts Center, 204 Nash Street South, featuring a variety of handmade and one-of-a-kind treasures from local and regional artists!

March 7 - April 18
Hosted by: ArtSuite

Jack Early was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1962. Early grew up in Rocky Mount where he attended North Carolina Wesleyan College before going on to completing 2 years of course work at Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC. He later graduated from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Early’s aesthetic roots in the South represent a distinct and contrasting perspective within the generation of artists who emerged in the early 1990s and addressed race and gender politics, gay rights, and AIDS, while critiquing the authority of cultural institutions. His rise to fame began in the late 1980s as one-half of the duo Pruitt-Early. Pruitt-Early’s irreverent work challenged prevailing orthodoxies and blurred the boundaries between low culture and high art. Since 2009, he has been making objects that explore the breadth of American pop culture. In 2019, Early was a recipient of the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant.

Early began to explore music with his band Happy Jack, and began writing songs, which have become integral to many of his new art objects. He eventually struck upon the idea for Rainbow that he found a way to incorporate music fully with his sensibilities as an artist. Once he struck on the idea, work on the musical and the visual artwork that accompanies it continued from the inception in the 90s until the very end of 2017. Early has exhibited his work in solo shows all over the world, including New York, Art Basel, Miami, Florida, Italy, Germany, Greece, and most recently Mulier-Mulier Gallery, Knokke-Heist, Belgium.

“Jack Early’s Greatest Hits” is a culmination of works featuring elements Jack has been cultivating since childhood. The exhibition is celebration of Jack’s journey as an artist and will feature 2D works, soft sculptures, and include an immersive installation incorporating original music. The show will be on display in the Truist Event Gallery until April 18. The Wilson Arts Center is open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 10 AM - 5 PM, but private rentals and events may effect those hours. Please call ahead at 252-291-4329 or visit our Google business page to check open hours if traveling from out of town.

Thursday, May 16, 6:00-8:00 PM

Tickets: $50

Hang on to your hats and loosen up your wallets to join us for one of our favorite annual events! This beloved fundraiser continues to grow and this year, we have stretched our creative net to include 3D works into the mini-masterpiece mix. For the first time ever, Miniature Masterpieces will take over the gallery two weeks ahead, May 2 to be exact, for everyone to have an opportunity to enjoy seeing the work of local artists. But the real fun will still be our event night and fundraiser on Thursday, May 16 where luck of the draw (or grand negotiation skills) determine what tiny treasure travels home with you!

Tickets will go on sale to current members beginning April 1, and to the public April 15. This one is always a sell-out, so if you’d like to attend, be sure to reserve your tickets!

The ticket price of $50 includes a fun, festive evening of scrumptious hors d’oeuvres and desserts, nonalcoholic drinks, and an original 8”x 8” miniature masterpiece of your very own to take home.

Once you’ve claimed your mini-masterpiece, you can stop by our one-stop framing station, where you can have your masterpiece professionally framed and ready to hang! All proceeds go towards funding education programming for the year, and all original artworks are generously donated by local and regional artists.

All participating artists that have donated a masterpiece this year are invited to attend the second half of the event, just be sure to give us a call to RSVP, ASAP!

You can call us at (252) 291-4329, visit us at the Wilson Arts Center, or purchase tickets online using the button beginning April 1 for 2024 members and April 15 for the general public.

If you or your business would like to become a sponsor for this delightful fundraising event, please contact Dee Dee Oliver, Visual Arts Coordinator, at (252) 291-4329 or deedee@wilsonarts.com

March 7 - April 18, 2024
"If these walls could talk, I bet they'd never shut up!"
Jack Early Solo Exhibition

May 16, 2024
Miniature Masterpiece Fundraiser

May 30 - June 27, 2024
Frans van Baars Solo Exhibition