Saturday Review: “Painting A Varied Picture of Art in North Carolina” a review by Heather D. Wilson of
Liza Roberts’ Art of the State: Celebrating the Visual Art of North Carolina (2022) in NCLR Online Winter 2024
We’re sharing some new book reviews from our forthcoming Winter issue.
Since the early days, NCLR has not only promoted the work of North Carolina writers but visual artists, too. We have been blessed by artists, galleries, and museums across the state saying “of course” to us reproducing work by both current and former NC artists to go along with our fiction, poetry, and other creative writing. Finding new pieces and artists is always a delight, and currently the special province of Art Editor Diane Rodman.
So while we usually only review literature, we made an exception for Roberts’ book Art of the State:
Celebrating the Visual Art of North Carolina, and asked one of our long time museum friends, Heather Wilson of Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, to write the review. She reminds us, “The arts are, as Roberts demonstrates throughout her book, one of our state’s greatest resources for education, culture, and economic development.”
Wilson says, “In well-researched prose, thoughtful interviews, and stunning photography by Lissa Gotwals, Roberts juxtaposes traditional and contemporary art, craft, and fine art, established institutions, and grassroots organizations, offering an examination of the art of the state that is as complicated and exciting as the population itself.” The book is organized geographically, which gives Wilson the opportunity to call out both names and communities known for the arts.
Both state support and individual philanthropy has contributed to the success of the visual arts (and all art forms) across the state. But the best support is still folks visiting and buying directly from galleries and artists. Wilson ends with, “We know that an arts community can only thrive with support, and reading Roberts’s inviting prose inspires readers to leave their homes and become an integral part of the thriving art community around them.”
Read the entire review and buy the book from your local independent bookstore.
