The Artists
Melvin Morris
Founder/Curator
This passionate and enthusiastic advocate for the arts is a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. Learning and working in a variety of art studies, painting became his primary concentration while incorporating sculpture as a secondary concentration.
“Painting is the medium that I use to express feelings that I would normally suppress and hide. My art revolves around personal experiences, memories and subjects that reflect or make reference to my culture, past and present. By immersing myself in these relationships, I am able to learn more about myself and the world around me.”
Sara Voecks
Director of Art and Marketing
Graphic Designer | Photographer | Artist
A native of rural Cass County, Iowa, Sara Voecks discovered her passion for art and photography while studying graphic design as a non-traditional student at Iowa Western Community College. After earning her Associate of Applied Sciences in Graphic Communications, she spent five years as a lead graphic artist for a high-volume commercial design company, while continuing to build a diverse freelance career in photography and design.
Her creative journey has taken her across a wide range of work—from portraiture, weddings, and live performances to collaborations with universities and professional theatre companies throughout the Midwest and beyond. Today, her list of freelance clients include the City of Lumberton and Fairmont, North Carolina.
Now based in Lumberton, North Carolina, Sara serves as the Director of Art and Marketing for Inner Peace Center for the Arts. She is also a designer for the Main Street Lumberton Downtown Design Team and President of the CTAP Boosters Club, where she actively supports and advocates for the growth of the arts in her community. She lives and creates alongside her husband and artistic partner, Eric Voecks, and is a proud mother of three.
Eric Voecks
NC A&T Assistant Professor of Technical Theatre
IPCA Technical Advisor
Born in North Dakota, raised in Fremont Nebraska, Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Kansas State University and dual MFA’s in Lighting/Projection Design and Technology from the University of Missouri Kansas City. For the last three decades, Eric has primarily worked in the professional theatre world as a designer and technician, providing scenery and lighting for venues coast to coast and even internationally, completing a four month residency at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, UK, in 2012 while designing lights for two Off-East End productions. Currently Eric works at NC A&T as an Assistant Professor in the Theatre Program, where he also serves as the Technical Director and Lighting/Projections and occasional scenic designer/performer. When not in the classroom, Eric also freelances as a professional designer, working in historic venues such as the Carolina Civic Center as well as lending his skills to the Children's Theatre Arts Program of the Public Schools of Robeson County (CTAP). When he finds extra time between all of that, he enjoys producing art pieces which include poured spin and UV reactive painting, Shibori inspired tie dye clothing, and recently began to take an interest in lapidary crafts, just to keep things interesting.
Burritt “Bucky” Benson III
Resident Artist
This Lumberton native studied painting and digital arts in the Art Department at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke under professors Tarleton Blackwell and John Antoine Labadie. In 2011, his painting titled “Winning” was showcased at the “State of the Art/Art of the State” exhibition at Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, North Carolina. In 2012, Burritt contributed an original three dimensional painted work to the “North Carolina Cow Parade” which was then exhibited at the Ackland Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Bucky’s “cow” art is now in the permanent collection of the North Carolina Zoo in Ashboro, North Carolina. Benson’s art has been the subject of international interest. In August of 2013, his paintings were featured in “The Lakeview International Journal of Literature & Arts, Vol. 1, No. 2.” In 2014, Bucky was commissioned to create original art for the NBC Sports Network Charlotte studio where Nascar America is produced. His original drawings and paintings have been in numerous exhibitions and arts publications and also reside in various private collections. Visit his website here to learn more.
The Gallery Chefs
Chef Jay
aka: Jeramie Crowder
Jeramie Crowder, more commonly referred to as Chef Jay, is currently working at UNC Health Southeastern as Production Chef. He is an avid beekeeper, gardener, entrepreneur and chicken whisperer. He is also the owner-operator of Crowder Creations LLC. When asked why he loves to cook he smiled and said " it reminds me of holidays cooking with my mom everybody knew to come to Sarah's house" he laughed.
Chef Jay grew up in Peoria IL and is the sixth of seven children. He wanted to be a chef for as long as he could remember, so when the opportunity arose he took it. In his junior year of high school he entered the Tazwell County Education For Employment Culinary Program. Through this program he had the opportunity to train under various chefs and enter culinary competitions. By the end of his senior year he was offered a position at the Pere Marquette Hotel while graduating top 10 of his class, earning his high school diploma, and associate in culinary arts.
Soon after he decided to attend Johnson and Wales University's Charleston campus where he excelled in his studies. Chef Jay was known for his determination, he believes everyone "has a purpose and it's up to us to unlock that hidden potential within". By the time he completed year one at Johnson and Wales, he gained a position as a teacher assistant there. In this role he assisted numerous Chefs with demos, campus tours and lectures. He was even asked to assist in the opening of the Charlotte JWU Campus.
Chef Jay reminds us that it's important to stop and appreciate life in all of its glory. When asked what was one of the best decisions he ever made, he responded "making Robeson County Home. It is one of the reasons I am who I am today."
Chef Sadiyah
aka: Chef Sadiyah Wolfe A.A.S.
Chef Sadiyah has climbed the career ladder by serving as a private chef and marketing liaison for various small local businesses. She is a proud mother to her 8-year-old son, Egypt. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, she moved with her mother and brothers in search of new opportunities. She is a graduate of Lumberton Senior High School, class of 2011, and obtained an Associates in Applied Science for Culinary Arts from the Art Institute of Charlotte in 2015.
Sadiyah organizes community events for budding artists and entrepreneurs, and enjoys engaging in art, poetry, and music. Currently, she holds the position of head chef at Happenings on Elm in Downtown Lumberton.
To find out more, follow Chef Sadiyah on Facebook