WILSON, N.C. —The Barton Art Galleries will host an “Art and Decorative Arts Appraisal Day” with artist-in-residence and North Carolina landscape artist J. Chris Wilson on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The event will be held in Case Art Building on the Barton campus and is open to the public at no charge. The community is invited to participate.
Wilson has participated in appraisal panels with national experts in the past and has a broad background in art and the decorative arts. “This is a continuation of community service that I have provided to the region for many years, mainly through referrals from the regional arts councils,” shared Wilson. “Members of the community may bring in any object of art or decorative arts (limit three items per person) to be examined, and I will advise them if it is an original or a reproduction and will approximate a value verbally for the item.” Wilson will not assess jewelry, precious metals, or coins.
The appraisals will be made on a first-come, first-served basis, but Wilson does not expect long lines with long waiting times. “If I do not immediately know about the object, I will try to research the item and follow up with the owner at a later date,” added Wilson. Objects cannot be assessed through photographs. The items to be appraised must be brought to the event and transported to and from the building by the owners.
Wilson, well established as a North Carolina landscape artist, currently has nearly 35 paintings on long-term exhibition in four significant state buildings in the Capital District in Raleigh. The paintings are from a major series of large-scale scenic North Carolina landscapes “From Murphy to Manteo—An Artist’s Scenic Journey,” which are on exhibit at the Museum of History, the State Library of North Carolina, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the House of Representatives Chamber in the North Carolina Legislative Building. Currently, Wilson has one painting from the series on exhibition at the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington.
Wilson’s work was the subject of a feature article in the March 2013 issue of “Our State” magazine, and his historic Wilmington home and art were featured in the August 2013 issue of “Salt Magazine.” The artist was featured on UNC-TV’s “Our State” program that aired on January 2 and featured in episode two of a five-part documentary series, focusing on “The U. S. East Coast” produced by Vidicom Media of Hamburg, Germany, and co-produced with ARTE and SWR Fernsehen and viewed on the French-German cultural channel ARTE. The series is about people and shores from Florida to Maine. In the recent past, Wilson was featured on WRAL’s “Tar Heel Traveler,” and “WTVD’s Heart of Carolina Perspectives.” His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the Southeast, and his art is also represented in numerous public and private collections in the United States, especially in the Southeast, and in England, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Wilson has been involved in symposia, community presentations, and publications on art, decorative arts, and historic preservation, and he has engaged in extensive community service throughout his professional career, currently serving on the boards of Preservation North Carolina, the Blount Bridgers House/Hobson Pittman Memorial Foundation, and the Historic Preservation Commission in Wilmington.
Originally from Waycross and St. Simons Island, Ga., Wilson earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia, where he also completed post-graduate work, with Lamar Dodd as his major professor. Wilson served on the faculty of Barton College from 1974-2012, earning professor emeritus recognition following retirement. Now, he continues at Barton as the College’s first artist-in-residence. Wilson makes his home in Wilmington with his wife, Kathleen, and has two adult children: a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Singleton. For additional information on the artist or to view Wilson’s work, please visit www.jchriswilson.com.
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