Wayne Evans has long been a champion for the rights of children in his community. Earlier this year, he celebrated 20 years with ACI-Dungarvin in North Carolina. While he started in accounting, he found another passion, becoming a Foster Care Administrative Coordinator in 2016. Prior to that, he was a Technology Facilitator in the New Hanover County school system for 15 years, running a computer lab for students.
“My job is to help ensure that the foster care homes are in compliance with our state agencies,” shared Wayne. “I support both our Family Foster Care and Therapeutic Foster Care programs, making sure all documentation is in place so our coordinators (social workers) can focus on supporting families and the kids. It’s been a great experience. Even though I am coming up on the end of my career, I don’t want to retire. I still enjoy coming to work each and every day.”
Minnie Evans
What some may not know is that such commitment to community is actually a family affair, one shared with his late great-grandmother, Minnie Evans, or Mama Minnie, as she was affectionately known to the family. In his early years, Wayne grew up in his grandmother’s home in Wilmington, North Carolina, with both Minnie and her mother (his great-great-grandmother, Mama Hun, who lived to be 104!).
It was around the 1930s that Minnie began her art career in earnest, but it started as a hobby at home. By day, Minnie was a housekeeper for the prestigious Jones family. They owned Airlie Gardens, a historic public botanical gardens with roots back to the early 1700s.
Eventually, Minnie was offered an opportunity to work as a “gatekeeper” at the Gardens’ entrance, a position she held for nearly 30 years, until 1974. It was here, perhaps inspired by the Gardens’ beauty, that her artistry flourished.
“She was always famous to me, but once other people started discovering her work, her popularity really took off,” Wayne said. In the mid-1960s, Mama Minnie’s art caught the attention of photojournalist Nina Howell Starr, who helped arrange her first New York City art exhibition at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church. From there, recognition of her work grew exponentially.
In 1975, Minnie was featured in a solo exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art , a major career milestone for any artist. Today, Minnie Evans’ artwork can be found in museums across the country, in private collections around the world and in Wayne’s personal collection. Her work continues to be sold through private sales and major auction houses, including Christie’s in New York City.
The value of her artwork varies depending on the size, medium and rarity of each piece. Recently, while attending an event at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Wayne spoke with a private collector who shared that he had paid $95,000 for one of Minnie’s larger collage works. It was a reminder of just how appreciated her art continues to be decades after first sharing her visions with the world.
Harry Belafonte visited the Whitney Museum in 1975 to see Minnie Evans' artwork.
Minnie passed away in 1987 after celebrating her 95th birthday. Coming full circle, her art is once again on exhibit at the Whitney Museum through January, 2027, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of her first show there.
These days, Wayne and his cousin Beverly, along with the producer of the newest Minnie Evans documentary, have been traveling to art shows and film screenings, taking part in Q&A sessions and helping keep Minnie’s legacy alive.
“Mama Minnie was just our great-grandmother growing up,” Wayne said. “But she also had a gift and a story she felt called to share with the world.”
Recently, Wayne made a big personal decision, receiving foster care certification in case he wants to go down the path of foster parenting in the future. “I feel the need to do that … to help educate and work with the younger generation. Getting to know these kids, makes me want to do more.”
To learn more about the life and legacy of Minnie Evans, watch the PBS North Carolina documentary film “Minnie Evans: Draw or Die.” See the trailer here.
Minnie Evans’ art is featured in the permanent collections or has been exhibited or collected in the these museums:
- North Carolina Museum of Art
- Cameron Art Museum
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- American Folk Art Museum
- High Museum of Art
- Ackland Art Museum
- Mint Museum of Art
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
- Ogden Museum of Southern Art
If you are interested in learning more about ACI-Dungarvin foster care support – or becoming a licensed provider – in North Carolina, visit our services page.