For Immediate Release
May 13, 2016

Contact:
Karen Mack
Mike’s Art Truck
www.mikesarttruck.com
mikesarttruck@centurylink.net
678-357-2778
 
“Folk Art by The Chicken Man” at the Hillsborough Visitors Center
May 27, 2016 through July 21, 2016

Hillsborough, N.C. – The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough and Mike’s Art Truck are happy to present an exhibit of paintings by self-taught SC artist Ernest Lee at the Alexander Dickson House in Hillsborough, NC. Art by the so-called “Chicken Man” will be on display in the historic building which houses the Hillsborough Visitors Center from May 27, 2016 through July 21, 2016.

Ernest Lee, known by everyone as "The Chicken Man," can be found with a big grin on his face, painting and selling his signature "funky chickens" on Gervais Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina. A self-taught artist, Lee has been painting and drawing since he was a child, but he owes his fame – and his nickname - to the wacky happy chickens he paints in all sorts of colors and costumes dancing around on their little stick legs. The Chicken Man paints other subjects, but his funky chickens have become classic souvenirs of Columbia and they are always in demand. He uses acrylic paint on scrap wood that is often irregularly cut, warped, or broken. The Chicken Man likes to park the colorful trailer that serves as his art studio and store on a vacant lot within walking distance of the University of South Carolina (home of the “Gamecocks”). Not long ago some locals refused to let him set up shop on the street, but his fans rallied to his defense. It didn't take long for The Chicken Man to find a street that welcomed him. His trailer still gets in the way of urban development from time to time, but now The Chicken Man himself has become a local tourist attraction. If you can’t find him on the street in Columbia, these days you can find him on Facebook. The Chicken Man is planning to visit Hillsborough in June.

Longtime collectors of “outsider art” & friends of many artists, Greg and Karen Mack founded Mike’s Art Truck to promote and sell the work of self-taught living artists. Mike’s Art Truck has no physical gallery location, and the truck is only an imaginary one driven by their cat Mike. Artwork is shown through cooperation with other businesses and public spaces and is displayed and sold online. Since moving to Hillsborough in 2012, the Macks have curated folk art shows for the Orange County Public Library, the Chapel Hill Public Library, the Hillsborough Visitors Center, and the Orange County Historical Museum.

Exhibition artwork is available for purchase directly through Mike’s Art Truck and can be picked up after the conclusion of the show. Contact Mike’s Art Truck for information by email at mikesarttruck@centurylink.net, or visit their website at www.mikesarttruck.com.

The Alexander Dickson House and Hillsborough Visitors Center is located at 150 E. King St., in downtown Hillsborough. Admission to the exhibit is free and open to the public during regular visitor hours. Free parking is available. For more information about Historic Hillsborough, including the Visitors Center, please visit http://www.visithillsboroughnc.com. 

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“Folk Art by The Chicken Man” at the Hillsborough Visitors Center
May 27, 2016 through July 21, 2016
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