Dear Friends,



Next month I will transport my mother's 12 portraits and self-portraits from the Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation Studio to Wilmington NC.

The Art Galleries at the Cultural Arts Building (CAB) Gallery at the University of North Carolina Wilmington will have an exhibition of my mother's portraits and self-portraits this Summer. Also on display will be my mother's iconic sculpture "Summer Jazz" which was inspired by her many visits to see "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway. I had the pleasure of seeing Phantom one more time this past December. The show closes this Sunday after 35 years and 13,925 performances.

The first five portraits and two self-portraits seen below are on loan from Radford University. The other four portraits and eight self portraits are on loan from the Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation's Studio Collection.

The Art Galleries at the Cultural Arts Building

Dorothy Gillespie: Portraits and Self-Portraits

May 18 – September 1, 2023

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 18, 2023 from

5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.

The Radford University Collection of five portraits and two self-portrait

In 2021 the Radford University Art Museum displayed four portraits and one self-portrait from their permanent collection. Radford University has the largest collection of Dorothy Gillespie self-portraits (2) and portraits (10) of any university in the country.

The portraits and self-portraits below will be on loan from the Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation Studio Collection.

Summer Jazz

Enamel on Aluminum

46 x 42 x 42 inches

2002