LCC Family Literacy Students Visit Chick Wooten Exhibition

Lenoir Community College’s family literacy participants recently witnessed the artistry of local renowned artist, Chick Wooten, at the Community Council of the Arts.

Wooten grew up in LaGrange and his paintings display traditional North Carolina scenes during what he refers to as "Days Back Yonder."

These realistic paintings of the 30s and 40s depict a variety of scenes from back yonder, including hog killings, picking cotton, and tobacco cropping, looping and barn hangings. There were detailed paintings of family outings with homemade cakes, chickens off the yard, barbeque ribs, potato salad and fresh squeezed lemonade.

Most of Wooten's artwork evolved around family life and how families relied on each other for survival and preservation of traditions and customs.

The Family Literacy participants were amazed at the conditions under which some people lived yet managed to exhibit the spirit of love and unity. The literacy parents learned terms like applejacks, slab bacon, flour bread, lye soap, water pumps, and out houses.

Wooten gave the literacy parents a tour of the exhibit. The parents questioned his motivation for his paintings, the medium he used, and what his next project would be.

Parents left the exhibition appreciative not only of the artwork, but with the realization that with all the modern conveniences we have today, the same basic principles for survival still apply i.e., family, working together, maintaining faith and enduring regardless of the circumstances.

Lenoir Community College Family Literacy student Nicole Humphery is pictured with one of artist Chick Wooten's pieces.