Artist Mary Whyte donates bronze statue to the City of Charleston
April 14, 2022
Unveiling and Dedication Ceremony, Friday, April 15th at 11:30 AM, Joe Riley Waterfront Park
Please join Mayor John Tecklenburg and Mary Whyte at the unveiling and dedication ceremony of a bronze statue, “Lilly,” which was donated to the city by the artist Mary Whyte. The ceremony will take place at Joe Riley Waterfront Park near Vendue Range and Concord Street on Friday, April 15, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.
“The statue of Lilly is not only a tribute to our African American community, but will be a joyful welcome to Waterfront Park visitors as well.” Mary Whyte
“On behalf of our citizens, I’d like to thank Mary Whyte. This remarkable statue of Lilly is a beautiful and joyous work of art, and I can’t imagine a more appropriate home for it than Waterfront Park.” Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg
About Mary Whyte
Mary Whyte (b. 1953) is an American figurative artist known internationally for her watercolors of contemporary people. Her works are in private, corporate, university and public collections nationwide, and have been featured in numerous media outlets including CBS Sunday Morning, PBS and NPR. In 2013, Whyte was one of ten artists worldwide invited to travel to China and exhibit her watercolors at the Nanning Art Museum in Nanning, Guangxi.
The author of seven books including We the People: Portraits of Veterans in America, Whyte’s work has also been featured in many international publications, including periodicals and books in China, Russia, France, Germany, Canada and Taiwan. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Portrait Society of America’s Gold Medal, the Carolinas Freedom Foundation’s Freedom Award, and the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts, South Carolina’s highest honor in the arts. Whyte received the 2020 National DAR Medal of Honor and the 2020 NSDAR Women in the Arts Award. In 2021 Mary Whyte received an honorary doctorate degree from Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
In 2019 Whyte founded the Patriot Art Foundation as a means to honor and inspire veterans through the arts.
Mary Whyte resides in the Charleston, South Carolina area with her husband, Arnold Nemirow.
