Roots and Resonance: The Art of Preston Sampson

Family and community are the exhibition's heartbeat. Sampson's stories of growing up in Pleasant City-where his mother, regal and elegant, once pointed to an abandoned service station and said, "That's going to be your gallery one day"-are woven into the fabric of his art. His father, a self-taught pianist and John F. Kennedy admirer, instilled values of respect and curiosity.

"Treat everybody with equal respect," Sampson recalled his father saying. "And never ask Daddy a question-go to the dictionary." These lessons manifest in the depth and dignity of his subjects, especially in his series on working men.

"Behind every doctor, lawyer or Indian chief, there's somebody with dirt under their fingernails," Sampson said. His 2007 piece The Craftsman honors these unsung heroes, portraying labor not as toil but as pride.

Sampson's work also pays homage to sports as a metaphor for meritocracy and teamwork. His series on Negro League baseball, featuring Turning Two, is a vibrant collage of history and emotion. These pieces are not just nostalgic-they're reminders of stories that deserve to be told and retold.