Don Pullen Art Exhibit Opens

JEFFERSON CENTER PRESS RELEASE: December 16, 2011

ROANOKE, VA - Jefferson Center and the Harrison Museum of African American Culture are proud to announce the opening of the Don Pullen Arts Exhibit housed inside Jefferson Center.

The collaboration exhibit was successfully opened to the public on Friday, December 16th with the help of Jefferson Center supporters, HMAAC representatives and friends and family of the late jazz great, Don Pullen. The exhibit will remain on display and open to the public every weekday from 9:00am until 4:30pm, leading up to the Don Pullen Tribute Concert on January 14^th. 

Don Pullen was born in Roanoke on December 25, 1941 to a musical home. Pullen’s years in Roanoke were spent performing, whether it was at his mother’s church, Sweet Union Baptist Church, or in the Harrison Elementary School choir. Pullen formed a band with his best friend Byron Morris at Booker T. Washington Junior High School and played in the Lucy Addison High School band. After college, Pullen went on to travel the world, delivering a thrilling and original sound to audiences across the globe. Pullen’s beauty, power and virtuosity behind a piano mesmerized audiences until his death on April 22, 1995. 

“We developed the Don Pullen tribute concert because we believe that it is Jefferson Center’s responsibility as a community arts leader in this region to honor a Roanoke native whose music influenced jazz on a world wide scale,” said Cyrus Pace, Executive Director at Jefferson Center. “With the help of the Norfolk Southern Foundation, Chamber Music America, and with support from HMAAC, Jefferson Center is fortunate to have the opportunity to present this art exhibit to the public that features paintings, photographs, audio highlights from a Smithsonian interview and much more; all highlighting the career, music and life of Don Pullen.”

“The Harrison Museum is excited to be a part of this project that honors a native African American of Roanoke whose gifts as a musician touched the world and whose innovations behind the piano continue to influence jazz to this day,” said Charles Price, Board President of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture. “Part of our vision at HMAAC is to collaborate with other community leaders to capture the rich history and impact the local African American culture has contributed to the evolution of the Roanoke Valley and we believe this arts exhibit and the tribute concert on January 14^th does just that.”