Lisa Cain
The Storyteller
East Gallery
February 7 - March 28, 2026
Opening Reception:
Saturday, February 7, 6pm-9pm
ARTIST TALK
TBD
Redbud Arts Center is honored to present The Storyteller, an exhibition of paintings by Lisa Cain, Ph.D.—a self-taught artist and memory painter.
Cain’s art, acrylic on canvas and mixed media, offers a pictorial history of life in the rural South, deeply rooted in her upbringing in Canton, Mississippi. Her vividly colored works portray the everyday experiences of her community, rendered in simple yet powerful figures that capture culture, tradition, and memory. Many of her stories honor voices that are now silent. The artist’s greatest influences came from her parents, community, and grandmother, Mrs. Louvenia Torrance. Mrs. Torrance spent most of her life picking cotton, yet her most enduring gift to her granddaughter was not material possessions, but time, love, and the values of hard work and dignity. These lessons shaped Cain both as an individual and as an artist.
In addition to her acrylic folk-art painting, Cain’s mixed media style combines acrylic backgrounds with carefully selected vintage images that depict African American history and experience in the rural South. Often presented in monochrome or grayscale, these images are chosen for their expressions and gestures, adding depth, mood, and narrative to her storytelling.
Through both mediums, Cain illuminates the lives of African Americans in the South—communities defined by unity, love, labor, and spirituality. The Storyteller invites viewers to step into a world framed by both simplicity and complexity, capturing the essence of a time and culture that shaped generations.
Cain’s work has been exhibited widely, including at the Mississippi Delta Museum, The Kennedy Center, and the American Visionary Museum. Her paintings are represented by galleries, collected across the United States, and have appeared in television shows, magazines, and even on the set of the film A Journal for Jordan.
LISA CAIN
ARTIST STATEMENT
THE SOUTH
I can feel the spirit of the south in the crowing of the rooster in the early morning. I can feel the spirit of the south in the sound of the crickets, in the silence of the night, and in the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. I can feel the spirit of the south in the spirituals that radiate through the country churches on a Sunday. The spirit of the south is present in the smell of the country dirt after the rain has sprinkled the earth or in the smell of honeysuckle growing on a wooden fence. There is beauty in the South, a beauty that cannot be matched by any architectural design created by man. There is a refuge in the silence of a country night and in the sound of a flowing stream. In the depth of the country and in the beauty of the greenness of the earth, there you will find peace. You will gain an appreciation of the elements of the earth. There, you can experience the fullness of God as Creator. I am a product of the south. A product of my family, town, and church. My personality was shaped by values of the people who lived simple but rich lives. It is through my paintings that I depict the beauty of the rural South. It is through my paintings that I tell the story of a people that are strong in values, culture, and spirituality. It is through my paintings that I tell the story of a time that was simple but beautiful.
