WS Chronicle

Local artist Leo Rucker is getting a lot of exposure as of late.

The Delta Arts Center is currently hosting an exhibit of some of his murals. Next month,  the Sawtooth School for Visual Art – in conjunction with the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and SMSi-Urban Call – will open “Role Model Beyond Beauty,” an exhibition of Rucker’s pastel portraits of women associated with the National Black Theatre Festival, the N.C. Black Repertory Company and other notable women of color.

The exhibition will be on display in the Davis Gallery at the Sawtooth School from July 12 through Aug. 5, coinciding with this year’s NBTF (July 29–Aug. 3). An opening reception featuring Rucker will be held July 12 from 5–7 p.m.

The works in the exhibit are some of the more than 150 portraits in the personal collection of Lafayette and Sandy Jones, executive partners of SMSi-Urban Call Marketing.

“This event will be a great visual arts complement to our community’s most exciting theatre arts event,” said Lafayette Jones.  “Leo Rucker’s portraits will have strong appeal to local audiences as well as out-of-town visitors before and during the Theatre Festival.”

Rucker, a Winston-Salem artist specializing in portraiture and murals, will also teach a special “Taste of Art” portraiture class at the Sawtooth School on Friday, July 19 from 6–8 p.m.

Those who want to take the class can register online at www.sawtooth.org or by calling the Sawtooth at 336-723-7395.  The fee for this class is $40.