The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
ARTIST’S LEGACY IS CARRIED ON
James F. Pye Community Art Exhibit runs through Oct. 30 at Beth K. Stocker Art Gallery
A new art exhibit debuted this week at the Beth K. Stocker Art Gallery at Lorain County Community College in Elyria.
The James F. Pye Community Art Exhibit will run through Oct. 30 at the college, 1005 N. Abbe Road.
The exhibit was developed through the Start with Art program at Lorain’s Harrison Cultural Community Centre, 1922 Hamilton Ave., under the creative minds of his children and artists Jeffery Pye Sr. and Sharon PyeBrown.
“My father is an artist and Jeff and I are inspired by him and inherit his talent,” Pye-Brown said. “So, here we are carrying on his legacy since he passed away.
“By doing that, we want the community, to first of all know that there are people in the community that have talent as far as painting, as far as art and whatever form of art they have, and to bring that out in the community.”
She said her father kept to himself as far as his art
“So, here we are carrying on his legacy since he passed away . ... ”
— Sharon Pye-Brown, speaking of her father, James F. Pye
and kept everything inside.
“He did some paintings for a doctor’s office and just a few for people,” PyeBrown said. “But he has a big body of work that never really got brought out while he was living. So, that kind of inspired to bring that out in people and their talent in art.”
The Pye exhibit first was introduced at Harrison Centre on Feb. 24 during Black History Month and
has since been displayed at the Lorain Arts Council on Broadway in Lorain before moving to Stocker Art Gallery.
James Pye was born in Woodland, Ga., and his passion for drawing followed him when he relocated to Lorain to work at U.S. Steel.
A self-taught artist, James Pye specialized in drawing and painting portraits, landscapes and industrial scapes and has been commissioned for various private projects.
He is known for his use of vivid colors and detailed subject matter in his drawings
and paintings.
The Pye Exhibit will continue to grow and promote black history with new fresh art work moving into 2019 and will include a youth art component, organizers say.
The ventures will be displayed in communities, churches and organized annual events.
Artists and collaborators on the project say they are hoping to use the exhibit to educate and re-educate youth about minority contributions in making the community, city, country and world a better place.