Curator’s Corner | Throwback to “Outsiders: The Inside Story of Folk Art”
Who remembers our exhibition, "Outsiders: The Inside Story of Folk Art" that we had a few years ago? One of the artists we featured in this exhibition was Joe LaFone from Hickory, NC. He and fellow artist, Stephen Brooks, are featured in this video showing the two of them collaborating together on a painting:
Stephen Brooks holds a B.A. in fine art from Washington and Lee University, and an MFA in painting from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Additionally, he has studied at the Art Student League in New York and the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has exhibited widely throughout the region at museums and galleries, and is the recipient of numerous awards for excellence. Brooks is a longtime furniture designer, having worked nationally and internationally. He and Adriane, his wife who is a graphics artist and corporate executive, reside in Hickory and in Blowing Rock.
Joe Robert LaFone--a Hickory, North Carolina native--saw the movie "Lust for Life," the story of artist Vincent Van Gogh, when he was fourteen years old. Instantly, he knew his life's journey would be the pursuit of art. Coming of age in the 1960's, he tasted the fruits of the counter-cultural revolution. Along the way, he worked at major American art museums and traveled across the country, from Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco to Greenwich Village in New York City. Returning to his home town, he started to paint in 1997, after God spoke to him in a dream. Through his painting, Joe sought understanding of the spiritual nature of artistic creativity. Now an aging hippie, he contributes to Hickory's local color. In his youth, Joe worked lowly jobs in museums, including The Whitney, in New York, The Corcoran in D.C., The Nasher Museum, and The Ackland in Chapel Hill. His lifelong passion has been art. His lifelong love has been The Hickory Art Museum.
Video (C) Stephen Brooks, produced by Steven Allen, shared by the Theater Art Galleries (TAG).
Image Credits: Gallery view, "Outsiders: The Inside Story of Folk Art," 2018. Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC.