World-Renowned Comic Strip Illustrator & Author Guy Gilchrist Announces Exhibit at Mary Hong Gallery

(Nashville, Tenn.) May 14, 2018 – Renowned illustrator and author Guy Gilchrist, known worldwide for his work on comic strips such as "Nancy,"and Jim Henson's "Muppets," is pleased to announce his upcoming exhibit at the prestigious Mary Hong Gallery (414 Union Street--on the ground floor of the Bank of America building in downtown Nashville).
"Nancy Loves Nashville & The Muppets Take Music City" opens June 2 in concert with the Downtown Nashville First Saturday Art Crawl from 6 - 9 p.m., with a private reception from 5 - 6 p.m. The exhibit will feature nearly 40 original works by Guy Gilchrist on a variety of mediums including, but not limited to, hand-inked comic strip panels, 18 hand-painted stringed instruments, pen and ink drawings, and rare cartoon memorabilia. The highly-anticipated exhibit is Gilchrist's first public showing since his massive multi-year display at the Nashville International Airport (Feb. 2013 - Dec. 2015).

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"Miss Piggy, Kermit, Nancy, Sluggo, Aunt Fritzi, the Turtles...all my friends, and myself are all looking forward to our showing at the Mary Hong Gallery," jests Gilchrist. "I've spent countless hours making these lovable characters come to life through static pictures, mostly because I know that for one second of one day, I had the potential to make people smile all over the world. To make people in Nashville smile is more personally important to me because it is my home."
"We are thrilled to present the Guy Gilchrist exhibit at our gallery," states Mary Hong, owner and curator of the gallery. "His work is a fine example of contemporary art with mass appeal. We hope that art lovers will stop by, and parents will bring their kids. It's an exhibit for all ages."
The Mary Hong exhibit will remain open until June 30. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, please call 615-423-0818 or visit MaryHongStudio.com.
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ABOUT GUY GILCHRIST:
Throughout the years, Guy Gilchrist has set his hand to some of the most beloved, high-profile cartoons, such as“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Looney Tunes,” “Tom & Jerry,” “Tiny Toons,” “Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock,” “The Pink Panther,” “Minnie Mouse," and others, but he is best known for his work in creating Jim Henson’s “Muppets” comic strip (printed worldwide in 660-plus newspapers daily from 1981 to 1986) and for being instrumental in the creation of “The Muppet Babies.” Some of his iconic Muppets artwork was enshrined in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. as a National Treasure in 1984.

In 1995, Gilchrist took control of the internationally syndicated, long-running comic strip, "Nancy," originally introduced to the public in 1938 by the celebrated illustrator Ernie Bushmiller. Gilchrist returned the strip to the simple, yet impactful, illustration style introduced by Bushmiller. Like its creator, Gilchrist would also often inject subtle, yet meaningful, sub-themes in the panel's background. Reflective of Gilchrist's love for music and life in Music City, characters were often drawn wearing concert T-shirts or listening to music; Aunt Fritzi was portrayed as a music critic; and occasionally, artists were drawn in cartoon form or given a personal shout out. In 2013, Gilchrist proudly identified Three Rocks (the fictional home of Nancy) as a small suburb located on the outskirts of Nashville—forever cementing the strip with the iconic "it" city.
Gilchrist is also an award-winning writer and illustrator of children’s books (42 titles to his name, including the acclaimed “Night Lights & Pillow Fights”), garnering Reuben Awards from the National Cartoonists Society in the Best Book Illustrator category in both 1998 and 1999, and three Children’s Choice Awards by the International Reading Council. For more information on Guy Gilchrist, please visit aGuyGilchristProduction.com.