Taking a look at the color and art of Minnie Evans

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– “She did it passionately everyday of her life as a need to create,” said September Krueger, Curator of Education and Public Programs at Cameron Arts Museum.

Amazing and beautiful, those are just a few words that people say when seeing the colorful art of Minnie Evans.

Evans is an African American artist who worked as a gatekeeper at Airlie Gardens from 1916-1974. Evans is famous for most of her paintings being drawn with wax crayons, and many of her pieces being drawn in symmetry.

Krueger, who works at the museum, says Evans’ paintings naturally came to her, and that she had no plans of how it would end up.

“She is not someone who studied or trained to create what she did, but it came from a complete point of inspiration and intuition,” said Krueger.

That intuition inspired Cedric Harrison, who is a storyteller on WilmingtonColor Heritage Tour Bus.

“The pieces she was able to create and those contributions, it’s amazing for other to observe and reflect like that,” said Harrison.

Krueger says when looking at Evans’ art, people can learn so much about her.

“When you zoom in into her work, you can be curious of the faces. The lines and where she takes you into her imagination. What she tells us about her spiritual life, and the world around us,” said Krueger.