Image: New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe
The Columbia Museum of Art will present an artist talk by South Carolina artist Winston Wingo on July 23, offering visitors a chance to hear directly from the painter, sculptor, and educator about work that has examined technology, identity, and society since the 1970s. The lecture is scheduled for 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and comes as Wingo’s recent work remains on view in the collection exhibition 'Winston Wingo: Who Would We Be/Who Could We Be?'.
According to the museum, Wingo’s practice has long focused on representations of Black figures and on the relationship between technological change and human experience. The museum’s event listing says his newer work engages questions around artificial intelligence and humanity’s evolving relationship to technological advancements. Visitors are invited to arrive early to view the artist’s work in the galleries before the talk shifts to the theater.
The program is being organized by the Columbia Museum of Art, whose current collection displays and public events include several tours and talks tied to the museum’s collection galleries. A July 16 collection spotlight tour will also include 'Winston Wingo: Who Would We Be/Who Could We Be?' alongside works by Audrey Flack, Roberto Lugo, and Mario Joyce, indicating the museum’s interest in placing Wingo’s work in conversation with other contemporary pieces in the collection.
The museum identifies Wingo as a South Carolina artist whose work is in the CMA Collection. Its event page adds that Winston A. Wingo was born and educated in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He earned a BA in art education from Claflin University in 1977 and an MFA in sculpture from Clemson University in 1980. The page also notes postgraduate study in Italy in 1984 and a teaching career that has included Claflin University, South Carolina University, the University of South Carolina Upstate, Converse College, and several public schools in South Carolina.
Wingo’s background as both artist and educator is central to the event framing. The museum describes him as having had over 40 solo exhibitions and more than 200 group competitions and invitational exhibitions, with work shown throughout the United States, Canada, France, and Italy. That breadth gives the talk the character of a career survey as much as a conversation about a specific museum installation.
The artist talk is a ticketed event, with admission listed at $35 and $25 for members. The museum says registration is available for both members and the public, and accessibility accommodations can be arranged through the museum. The talk follows a multisensory tour of 'The CMA Collection' earlier that evening and is set for Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina.
