Shades of Summer

Shades of Summer is the Wilson Active Artists Association's summer exhibition, opening with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at the Hammond Gallery in the lobby of the Edna Boykin Cultural Center in Wilson, North Carolina. The show gathers seasonal work in watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media from local artists. The exhibition includes Ely Cotrina's whimsical watercolors and Alison Hesmer's large acrylics, among them Royal Botanic Gardens, inspired by a trip to Melbourne, Australia. Rick Tracy translates summer road trips, from Middleburg, Virginia, to a Cumberland County orchard, into combined canvases. Also on view are Elaine Marshall's abstract Blue Runs Through It, a mixed-media abstract by Andrea Horton-Morton, and Jane Gardner's Scorched. Artwork is for sale, with prices tagged below each piece and purchases arranged directly with the artists. The Hammond Gallery is open whenever a public event is scheduled at the center.