Monday, January 31, 2011

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is the first college in the state to host the artwork of native son Ivey Hayes. An exhibition by Hayes, the result of a campus effort headed by the Ann Flack Boseman Gallery, will be installed in the Azalea Coast Room of the Fisher University Union. Members of the media and the public are invited to a press conference and opening reception for the artist at noon on Feb. 9 in the Azalea Coast Room. WECT-TV anchorwoman Frances Weller will emcee the event.

Seventeen pieces will be unveiled for this initial exhibit. The work will be on permanent exhibition, with new pieces rotating in each academic semester through June 30, 2012.

Hayes, born and raised in eastern North Carolina, received a B.A. from North Carolina Central University, studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and earned an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1975.

With nearly 4,000 pictures completed in his lifetime, Hayes' use of bright color makes his pieces vibe with distinctness. His artwork has been amassed in various galleries and private collections throughout NC, as well as in Washington, D.C., Boston and New York. He has been honored with Presidential and Celebrity Awards as well as the North Carolina Azalea Festival Master Arts Exhibit. Hayes has supported NC charities, Town Creek Vision Corporation of Leland and Men and Women United for Youth and Families, Inc. of Delco, with donations of his artwork.

"It's truly an honor for UNCW's Boseman Gallery to enter this partnership with such an acclaimed artist," said Shane Fernando, assistant director of campus life arts and programs and curator of the Boseman Gallery. "We're so grateful that our students, campus community and region will have this access to Mr. Hayes' culturally and artistically significant work."

Media Contact:
Caroline Cropp, 910.962.7109, croppc@uncw.edu