Terri Weifenbach, Instruction Manual No. 2:21 (Bee), 1996, C-Print, Courtesy of George Lowe.

You may not have met local legend George Lowe, but there is a good chance you have heard his voice. Since he began his radio career in 1974, his voice has contributed to nine Emmy Awards, three ADDY Awards and has earned him praise from the New York Times, USA Today and TV Guide. Millennials will recognize his voice as that of the interstellar talk show host Space Ghost from Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim fame. Lowe’s rap sheet of vocal appearances is second only to his checklist of works in his private art collection.

Lowe has been an art collector for more than 30 years. His home is a veritable art museum, containing a variety of artworks from mid-century Pop Art to contemporary Folk Art. He refers to collecting art as his passion. His collection includes staple artists like James Rosenquist, Howard Finster, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Tom Wesselmann, but also includes a number of wildcards like Michael Stipe, Mama Johnson, Shepard Fairy, Lonnie Holley, Sandy Skoglund and ... George Lowe.

After decades of pursuing artists and collecting work around the world, Lowe became passionate about his own work. His complex compositions of swirled constellations and meandering pathways seem otherworldly. These abstract drawings have been included numerous exhibitions around the country, and can be found in major museum collections, including the High Museum of Art (Atlanta), The St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, The Georgia Museum and The Foundation for the Advancement of Self-Taught Art.

One Collector’s Dream is the first comprehensive exhibition of George Lowe’s private collection. In a single gallery, audiences will witness how one collector’s focus can take on multiple facets and they will perhaps realize the insatiable hunger experienced by such impassioned art collectors. The connections between Lowe’s collection and his own work will also be explored, exposing one of Lakeland’s most prolific creatives.