Renowned watercolorist and illustrator Jerry Pinkney was a fixture in the Woodmere community. The Germantown native regularly attended events at the art museum and was honored — with his wife Gloria Jean Pinkney — at Woodmere’s annual gala in 2021. However, just weeks after the gala, Pinkney died.

According to William Valerio, director and chief executive officer of Woodmere, Pinkney had previously spoken to him about a jointly organized exhibition highlighting the role of music in his art. Unbeknownst to Valerio and his staff, Pinkney had selected Woodmere as one of several museums to inherit thousands of pieces of his work.

Woodmere’s current exhibit, “Soul, Sound, and Voice: The Art of Jerry Pinkney,” honors the late artist and his gift to the museum. The show opened on Oct. 4 and will remain on display until Feb. 15, 2026.

“Jerry himself said that the show that would bring out the deep qualities of his work would be about the crossover between art and music, because so many of his subjects are musical. Even subjects that might not on the surface seem to be about music…there’s a pulse, a rhythm, and there’s always music in his head when he’s composing a watercolor or conceiving of a book,” Valerio told the Local. “The exhibition as a concept came from the artist himself, but it celebrates this very generous and very wonderful gift that becomes a cornerstone of Woodmere’s collection.”

‘Soul, Sound, and Voice’

“Soul, Sound, and Voice” was curated to display approximately 100 original works centered around three thematic sections, with music as the underlying thread. The first section features Pinkney’s work about African American traditions, history, and cultural contributions. For example, his illustrations from “The Sweethearts of Rhythm” tell the story of an American jazz ensemble, believed to be the first racially integrated all-female band in the United States.

Another section focuses on Pinkney’s reinterpretations of classic folktales and fables. In his re-envisioned illustrations for “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “The Little Mermaid,” Pinkney paints empowered Black protagonists.

The final section spotlights musical legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and Ma Rainey. A centerpiece of this section is Pinkney’s work for the 1977 Seagram’s calendar celebrating the Black roots of jazz and swing.

Valerio said these watercolor pieces are “astounding” and “magical” examples of the medium.

“Watercolor is the combination and the push and pull of the artist asserting control over the watery medium, and then the life that the medium just naturally has and the way that colors pull up or seep into the paper. That’s a drama unto itself that’s inherent to the medium,” Valerio explained. “Jerry is a master at telling stories, and people respond. The work itself is awe-inspiring in its beauty. Jerry is an artist of extraordinary imagination. He doesn’t use well-worn paths. He’s inventing new paths.”

In addition to Woodmere, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts also inherited much of Pinkney’s work, Valerio said. Pinkney’s family determined which pieces would go to each institution depending on their unique missions. As a museum focused on picture book art, the Carle received plenty of children’s books, while the Norman Rockwell Museum received art centered on advertising.

As for Woodmere, with its location in Philadelphia, the focus was on history.

“So much of [Jerry’s] work is historical,” Valerio said. “History was very alive to him.”

A family affair

According to Valerio, curating the exhibit would not have been possible without the help of Pinkney’s wife, Gloria.

“I can’t think of a time that Jerry may have come to visit Woodmere without Gloria,” Valerio said. “They were the kind of couple that were just so deeply integrated into each other’s lives. As a museum, we want to know as much about the work in our collection as we can possibly know. Gloria knows a whole lot about Jerry’s work because she was there side by side with him when he made everything.”

Gloria, an author and minister who lives in New York, has attended multiple events for families in conjunction with “Soul, Sound, and Voice,” including an art, music, and storytelling event at Woodmere in October and a storytelling program at Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library in November.

Since Pinkney’s work was often found in children’s books, Valerio said Woodmere made sure to present the art in a way that was easy for young people to digest. This included having colorful labels with simple language hung low on the walls so kids can read them and ponder the discussion questions posed.

On Dec. 13, from noon-2 p.m., Woodmere is hosting a holiday card-making workshop inspired by Pinkney’s illustrations. Families can make their own cards using collage and a variety of provided materials.

“Soul, Sound, and Voice: The Art of Jerry Pinkney” is on display at Woodmere’s Charles Knox Smith Hall, 9201 Germantown Ave., through Feb. 15, 2026.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.