The Stokes County Arts Council is pleased to announce the opening of an exhibit of Original Art by Artists with the Sid Lee Memorial Mental Health Association, in the Apple Gallery. A reception is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026 from 3:30pm – 5:00pm at the Stokes County Arts Council 500 Main Street Danbury, NC.

Ja’Nai Wilkes, of Winston-Salem, is a mixed media artist. She explained that the variety of media allow her to express emotions freely. She said, “my emotions were often treated as things that were deemed to be unmanageable until my grandmother suggested I shift my expression towards art.” Wilkes volunteers as a facilitator for art classes at the Sid Lee Memorial Mental Health Association. She says she creates to honor her grief, her children and life.

Serenity Cooke is a young artist. She shared that: “I enjoy following my passion for mental health through paintings and drawings. I create art so that people can connect and better understand, not just me, but themselves as well as their communities.”

Chris Martin is an artist and a poet. As a stroke/heart attack survivor, Chris’s art revolves around the idea that purpose outlasts pain. Chris explained that: “The events in my life did not silence me but instead made my voice sharper and louder. I like to create work that carries strength, healing and hope. Hope to turn those real battles into art and use my words for a truth that moves people.”

Simon Wharton grew up all across Eastern NC before settling into Winston-Salem. Art to Simon is an
expression of emotions, stories, and lessons as well as serving as an insight for people to reflect on. Simon shared, “My art shows insight to a lot of my personal struggles I had to face in 2025. This particular series reflects on a lot of my own repressed emotions.”

Christina Neptune is a black artist born and raised in Winston-Salem. She uses art as a way to explore stories and ideas from her imagination. Through storytelling and art, she showcases themes of race, gender, mental health, identity, knowledge, and nature. Christina explained: “I aim to hone my craft to create better forms to these concepts as well as to better communicate my own abstract feelings.”

Kimberly Z. Lee is a Mexican-American woman raised all around the United States as well as outside the US in Guadalajara and Mexico. Living and learning in so many different places has shown her a variety of different traditions, ideologies, and creative communities that have affected not just her art but also her life. She said, “Collage art resonates with me because it allows fragments of different experiences, images and ideas to come together and create something entirely new. The abstract style has the ability to communicate emotions beyond words, because sometimes words are just not enough.”

Carolyn S. Hughes is a hobby artist located in the Belo House of Old Salem. She has also been fascinated by abstract art because of the multiple interpretations a piece can pull from different individuals. She shared: “I enjoy creating collages as I find my own meanings in the variety of shapes, colors and textures that exudes the spirit of creativity.”

This exhibit will be on display July 1 – August 15, 2026 in the Apple Gallery. The Stokes County Arts Council is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9:00am-6:00pm, Saturday, 10:00a.m.-6:00p.m. and Sunday 12:00pm – 6:00pm. For additional information about the exhibit, please contact the Stokes County Arts Council at (336) 593-8159.