"Sweetgrass Harvest" by Jonathan Green

Patrons visiting UNC Asheville's Blowers Gallery this winter will find themselves transported to the balmy South Carolina Low Country. The University will host the acclaimed traveling exhibit "Sharing the Chores: Works on Paper by Jonathan Green" from January 14-February 28. The color saturated images of Gullah life are so evocative of the Sea Islands that visitors will nearly be able to smell the sweetgrass and salt marsh.

A reception will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, in the gallery. YMI Cultural Center Executive Director Harry Harrison will speak at 7 p.m.

Hosted by the McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina, "Sharing the Chores: Works on Paper by Jonathan Green" features 11 hand-drawn lithographs and one hand-pulled seriograph by the renowned artist. The images portray the importance of shared work, rituals and tradition in the Gullah community.

A native of Gardens Corner, S.C., Green is the first known artist of Gullah heritage to receive formal training as a professional artist. After serving in the military, Green earned a bachelor's of fine art degree from the Art Institute of Chicago. As his skills were refined, Green transformed his memories of the South into paintings representing his Gullah heritage. The Gullah people, descendants of slaves living on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia, have a distinct language, cultural heritage, foodways, music, craft, and farming and fishing traditions.

Green's work has earned critical acclaim and is featured in museum collections from Oregon to Florida. His art has also been used for book illustrations, calendars and greeting cards. He now lives and works in Naples, Fla.

Blowers Gallery, located on the main floor of UNC Asheville's Ramsey Library, is open during regular library hours. Admission is free. For hours of operation, call UNC Asheville's Ramsey Library at 828/251-6546.