This past Friday night, Greensboro was treated to an evening with William (Gérard) Louis-Dreyfus and his magnificent collection of outsider art. Mr. Dreyfus spoke at the Weatherspoon Art Museum against a backdrop of art from his personal collection. The exhibit, entitled Inside the Outside: Five Self-Taught Artists from the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation.  The featured artists made their art with no formal training and usually having to scrimp and scrape to get supplies, in some instances creating art from soot, sharpened sticks and retail packaging cardboard. The billionaire collector, now 83,  jokes that he hasn’t found a way to live forever; so, he will sell his 3,500 piece collection and donate the proceeds to the Harlem Children’s Zone (read more, here).

In the above photo, you see Mr. Dreyfus, accompanied by Weatherspoon Director Nancy Doll,  talking to a gallery full of Greensboro art lovers. You may recognize the name; he is the proud father of  actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Seinfeld fame). The exhibit will be at the Weatherspoon until September 4th. It is a very accessible, family-friendly exhibit. If you are lining up activities for summer, put this exhibit on your list. To quote the Weatherspoon: Free admission. Free parking. Free thinking.