LIBERTY Exhibit features art by Garcia

Garcia went to art school before achieving fame as a musician.
LIBERTY -- Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead were known for their constant touring.
Garcia died 10 years ago, but a collection of his artworks are part of an exhibition that is touring the country. "Jerry Garcia: A Visual Journey" will make a stop in the Mahoning Valley this weekend at the Holiday Inn MetroPlex.
Before he achieved fame as the lead guitarist and vocalist with the Grateful Dead, Garcia attended the San Francisco Art Institute. As his skill as a painter developed, his artistic styles came to include everything from realism to playful abstraction.
Image Makers Art of Philadelphia, which specializes in presenting the art of musicians and actors to the public, assembled the Garcia exhibition.
All artworks -- and two never before seen original watercolors by Garcia -- will be for sale at the exhibition.
Deadheads
The Grateful Dead would tour six months out of the year, and developed a legion of fans called "deadheads" who followed the band from city to city. It was a phenomenon that, up until that point, was unheard of.
Deadheads were like family to each other, with a strong bond of loyalty based on the Grateful Dead's music. Oddly enough, it was impossible to describe the "typical" fan, because the music cut across all demographics.
The communal vibe that existed at the concerts tends to be rekindled at each stop of the Garcia art exhibition.
Garcia went into a five-day coma in July 1986, the result of his diabetes. When he came out of it, he began to paint and draw on a frequent basis as he underwent rehabilitation.
His first gallery showing came soon after, and as fans learned of this new facet of Garcia, the demand for his artworks steadily increased.
A collection of Garcia's art accompanied the Dead on the band's 1993 tour, with showings in each city.
Garcia's art covers a wide range of styles and subject matter.
The art in the traveling exhibition was drawn between 1986 and Garcia's death Aug. 9, 1995.