Laura Berendsen Hughes is an acrylic painter working in Durham, North Carolina, USA. She paints dramatic, monumental silhouettes that balance initial spontaneity with the maturity of many layers of washes, impastos and line work. She has a BFA in sculpture from UNC – Chapel Hill and has worked as a professional graphic designer for many years. She uses her graphic design skills as an integral part of the process of creating initial compositions as well as adding final twists and turns.

Artist Statements
When I paint I’m attempting to use my accumulative skills to make something beautiful. Beauty isn’t the same as prettiness, although pretty also requires skill. For me beauty is deeper and must contain chaos decay and imperfection. What looks intuitive and spontaneous in my work actually starts with a fairly tight plan. I create a computer “sketch” so that I don’t have to think too much during the initial painting process. I’m an unapologetic copyist. I steal brush strokes, colors, shapes and techniques from other paintings to build my sketches. I use that digital guide as long as it doesn’t feel constrictive, I’m not just executing a plan, every step of the process is open to new inspiration. I’m a materialist at heart, I love to see what the paint wants to do and let it have a say in what finally shows up!

Reception:
Thursday, March 3, 2022
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Showing
March 3 – May 6, 2022

We are now VAX it or MASK it.  Face covering is required for all those that have not been fully vaccinated. 

ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Finding Freedom Through Art by the Art Club at the Nash Correctional Institution will be coloring the walls of the Mims Gallery at North Carolina Wesleyan University’s Dunn Center from May 12 – August 5, 2022. This exhibition is open to the public and has free admission, a reception will be held on May 12 from 5 – 7 pm.

The purpose of the Art Club of Nash Correctional Institution is to provide academic and technical training for the inmates at the Institution. The art club offers art classes for the beginner to the advanced and all the classes are inmate generated and inmate taught. For the inmates, art has become a way of life; the benefits associated with working in art speak for themselves. Art gives the inmates a way to reconnect with family and friends and to heal damaged relationships.

Art transcends cultural barriers and the classes provide goals to work towards, inspire confidence, promote strong work ethic, and give better tools to communicate ideas or express emotion. Walking through the Mims Gallery during this exhibition will show how your current circumstances do not determine your future and how beauty can be found anywhere.

This exhibit is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as well as by the NC Department of Public Safety.

The Mims Gallery is open during normal business hours Monday through Friday 10-5, during evening performances at The Dunn Center and through special appointments with the Art Curator.

About The Dunn Center
The Dunn Center is a premier venue for concerts, shows and conferences in eastern NC. Located on the campus of NC Wesleyan University, in the heart of Rocky Mount, The Dunn Center is proud to host the Wesleyan Performing Art Series. In addition to these world-class performances, The Dunn Center features a variety of campus and community events, including Wesleyan Players productions, concerts of the Tar River Swing Band and Orchestra and other various performances by nationally known artists. The Mims Gallery, located within The Dunn Center, hosts a variety of exhibits, including paintings, drawings, and sculpture. The Gallery is open weekdays from 2:00-4:00 p.m., as well as during performances. To learn more, visit dunncenter.com and follow on Facebook and TikToc at mims.art.gallery

Reception:
Thursday, May 12, 2022
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Showing
May 12, 2022 – August 5, 2022

ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Finding Freedom Through Art by the Art Club at the Nash Correctional Institution will be coloring the walls of the Mims Gallery at North Carolina Wesleyan University’s Dunn Center from May 12 – August 5, 2022. This exhibition is open to the public and has free admission, a reception will be held on May 12 from 5 – 7 pm.

The purpose of the Art Club of Nash Correctional Institution is to provide academic and technical training for the inmates at the Institution. The art club offers art classes for the beginner to the advanced and all the classes are inmate generated and inmate taught. For the inmates, art has become a way of life; the benefits associated with working in art speak for themselves. Art gives the inmates a way to reconnect with family and friends and to heal damaged relationships.

Art transcends cultural barriers and the classes provide goals to work towards, inspire confidence, promote strong work ethic, and give better tools to communicate ideas or express emotion. Walking through the Mims Gallery during this exhibition will show how your current circumstances do not determine your future and how beauty can be found anywhere.

This exhibit is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as well as by the NC Department of Public Safety.

The Mims Gallery is open during normal business hours Monday through Friday 10-5, during evening performances at The Dunn Center and through special appointments with the Art Curator.

About The Dunn Center
The Dunn Center is a premier venue for concerts, shows and conferences in eastern NC. Located on the campus of NC Wesleyan University, in the heart of Rocky Mount, The Dunn Center is proud to host the Wesleyan Performing Art Series. In addition to these world-class performances, The Dunn Center features a variety of campus and community events, including Wesleyan Players productions, concerts of the Tar River Swing Band and Orchestra and other various performances by nationally known artists. The Mims Gallery, located within The Dunn Center, hosts a variety of exhibits, including paintings, drawings, and sculpture. The Gallery is open weekdays from 2:00-4:00 p.m., as well as during performances. To learn more, visit dunncenter.com and follow on Facebook and TikToc at mims.art.gallery

Reception:
Thursday, May 12, 2022
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Showing
May 12, 2022 – August 5, 2022

ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Finding Freedom Through Art by the Art Club at the Nash Correctional Institution will be coloring the walls of the Mims Gallery at North Carolina Wesleyan University’s Dunn Center from May 12 – August 5, 2022. This exhibition is open to the public and has free admission, a reception will be held on May 12 from 5 – 7 pm.

The purpose of the Art Club of Nash Correctional Institution is to provide academic and technical training for the inmates at the Institution. The art club offers art classes for the beginner to the advanced and all the classes are inmate generated and inmate taught. For the inmates, art has become a way of life; the benefits associated with working in art speak for themselves. Art gives the inmates a way to reconnect with family and friends and to heal damaged relationships.

Art transcends cultural barriers and the classes provide goals to work towards, inspire confidence, promote strong work ethic, and give better tools to communicate ideas or express emotion. Walking through the Mims Gallery during this exhibition will show how your current circumstances do not determine your future and how beauty can be found anywhere.

This exhibit is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as well as by the NC Department of Public Safety.

The Mims Gallery is open during normal business hours Monday through Friday 10-5, during evening performances at The Dunn Center and through special appointments with the Art Curator.

About The Dunn Center
The Dunn Center is a premier venue for concerts, shows and conferences in eastern NC. Located on the campus of NC Wesleyan University, in the heart of Rocky Mount, The Dunn Center is proud to host the Wesleyan Performing Art Series. In addition to these world-class performances, The Dunn Center features a variety of campus and community events, including Wesleyan Players productions, concerts of the Tar River Swing Band and Orchestra and other various performances by nationally known artists. The Mims Gallery, located within The Dunn Center, hosts a variety of exhibits, including paintings, drawings, and sculpture. The Gallery is open weekdays from 2:00-4:00 p.m., as well as during performances. To learn more, visit dunncenter.com and follow on Facebook and TikToc at mims.art.gallery

Reception:
Thursday, May 12, 2022
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Showing
May 12, 2022 – August 5, 2022

ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Finding Freedom Through Art by the Art Club at the Nash Correctional Institution will be coloring the walls of the Mims Gallery at North Carolina Wesleyan University’s Dunn Center from May 12 – August 5, 2022. This exhibition is open to the public and has free admission, a reception will be held on May 12 from 5 – 7 pm.

The purpose of the Art Club of Nash Correctional Institution is to provide academic and technical training for the inmates at the Institution. The art club offers art classes for the beginner to the advanced and all the classes are inmate generated and inmate taught. For the inmates, art has become a way of life; the benefits associated with working in art speak for themselves. Art gives the inmates a way to reconnect with family and friends and to heal damaged relationships.

Art transcends cultural barriers and the classes provide goals to work towards, inspire confidence, promote strong work ethic, and give better tools to communicate ideas or express emotion. Walking through the Mims Gallery during this exhibition will show how your current circumstances do not determine your future and how beauty can be found anywhere.

This exhibit is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as well as by the NC Department of Public Safety.

The Mims Gallery is open during normal business hours Monday through Friday 10-5, during evening performances at The Dunn Center and through special appointments with the Art Curator.

About The Dunn Center
The Dunn Center is a premier venue for concerts, shows and conferences in eastern NC. Located on the campus of NC Wesleyan University, in the heart of Rocky Mount, The Dunn Center is proud to host the Wesleyan Performing Art Series. In addition to these world-class performances, The Dunn Center features a variety of campus and community events, including Wesleyan Players productions, concerts of the Tar River Swing Band and Orchestra and other various performances by nationally known artists. The Mims Gallery, located within The Dunn Center, hosts a variety of exhibits, including paintings, drawings, and sculpture. The Gallery is open weekdays from 2:00-4:00 p.m., as well as during performances. To learn more, visit dunncenter.com and follow on Facebook and TikToc at mims.art.gallery

Reception:
Thursday, May 12, 2022
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Showing
May 12, 2022 – August 5, 2022