(Note: The exact end date for this exhibit has not been set.)

Few of us ever have the opportunity to look back at what we have accomplished in our lifetime and actually see the paths we have taken, where they led and how we evolved. Many artists reveal this journey through the retrospective exhibition.

Visitors of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center will have an opportunity to experience Charlie Newton: A Retrospective Exhibition, encapsulating a 30-year period of artwork of large scale oils to smaller scale watercolors incorporating various styles of painting rich with color and bold brushstroke.

Newton began painting when he was five and became a professional artist at 22. He has exhibited in London, Italy, New York, and throughout the Southeastern United States. Newton’s works are currently showcased in public and private collections all over the world including The Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art, the University of Delaware, Wilmington, DE, Maloney Art Gallery, Annunciation Center, College of Saint Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, the Norfolk Zoo, Norfolk Virginia, the Beatties Ford Road Library, Charlotte, NC and Chattanooga’s Hunter Museum of American Art.

Charlie Newton: A Retrospective Exhibition includes 38 works of art ranging from oil, mixed media, and watercolor paintings. According to Newton, each painting is a meditation or prayer and speaks to the spiritual in art. This stimulating and thought-provoking exhibition will be on display at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center beginning October 8 through December 2.

Visitors can tour this exhibition as well as other exhibits at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center Monday through Friday between 10 am and 5 pm on Saturdays from noon to 4 pm. General admission is $7 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and students, $3 for children ages 6-12. Members and children 5 and under are free. To learn about membership opportunities or to obtain additional information about this exhibit and others, call (423) 266-8658 or visit www.bessiesmithcc.org.