MYRTLE BEACH, SC.- The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum will offer the public a remarkable exhibit titled Jonathan Green: The Artist & The Collector. Visitors to the Museum will not only have the delight of seeing 31 paintings by Jonathan Green, but also 40 works from Mr. Green’s own art collection, allowing a rare peek into the personal tastes of this celebrated artist.

Visitors will have an opportunity to meet the artist for a book signing beginning at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 6. Mr. Green will sign copies of the exhibition catalogue as well as copies of Gullah Images: The Art of Jonathan Green; and Amadeus, The Leghorn Rooster, written by Delores Nevils and illustrated by Jonathan Green. Ms. Nevils will also attend and will read selections from Amadeus beginning at 11:00.

The exhibit continues through Oct. 19 with gallery hours from 10 a.m-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

Green is a beloved South Carolina native son and the preeminent artist of the Lowcountry’s Gullah culture, and this exhibition follows the Museum’s immensely popular 2003 exhibit Southern Images of Faith, Family and Friends: The Art of Jonathan Green.

Green’s paintings, created over three decades, feature familiar images drawn from his own personal experiences, steeped in the traditions of family, community and life in the Lowcountry. They have drawn national and international attention to the unique and tenacious Gullah culture that has enriched the coastal regions of the Southeast for centuries. Green’s art captures the essence of simple acts of joy, whether dancing, fishing or walking on the beach.

Viewers will find further insight into the artist’s character by seeing the works he chooses for his own collection. Green’s co-collector Richard Weedman writes about the artist’s formative years, noting that he was continually frustrated by major museums’ lack of recognition of African American artists’ work. His selections include many artists who painted during the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) period (1935-1943). Weedman adds that “the images created by these artists . . . reflected experiences and values that spoke to Green’s own sense of history and cultural identity.”

Jonathan Green the collector has amassed hundreds of works of art by notable and emerging artists alike. Forty of these, all by African Americans, are showcased in this exhibit, including works by Romare Bearden, William Carter, Elizabeth Catlett, David Driscoll, William H. Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith and Charles White.

Green writes in his artist’s statement that these works reflect “the themes of work, love, belonging and spirituality that support a home environment of space, dignity and privacy.” Moreover, he adds, they serve as inspiration to his own passion for painting and his creativity.

Major funding for Jonathan Green: The Artist & The Collector is provided by Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc., with additional support from Beach First National Bank, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, The Chapin Foundation, City of Myrtle Beach, Dargan Foundation and The South Financial Group Foundation.

Admission to the Museum is free, but donations are welcomed. Call 843-238-2510 or visit www.MyrtleBeachArtMuseum.org.