Molly Gaston Johnson’s art is built on an early training in printmaking from excellent teachers and a lifelong love of animation, book illustration and graphic arts (album cover design, movie posters, and more). Her frequent work as a sketch artist has rekindled her love of drawing from life. Her painting for the Basie Center wraps all of this into one. 

Molly grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where she fondly remembers trips to the beautiful and historic Ohio Theatre with her oldest sister to see musicians, magicians, and movies… how great it was to see the organ player pop out of the floor at intermission. Establishing home at the Jersey shore in 2002, she quickly learned that The Basie Center fills that same place of magic for people who grew up here. She is proud to be a part of this project to honor the beloved theater.

Emily Walling is a painter specializing in small-scale, detailed architectural pieces with an emphasis on historical structures. As a lifelong resident of the Jersey Shore, Bruce Springsteen’s music was an innate part of her upbringing and continues to inspire her through her work.

Eva Marie Faith grew up going to the Count Basie Center for theater, concerts, and school trips, and those experiences have been formative to her love of live events and music. A strong believer in the importance of the arts as part of the human experience, she thinks that a thriving Count Basie Center for the Arts gives hope for our future, especially in a time when too many people do not understand or value the arts. 

Brittney Mallon is an illustrator and fine artist who grew up in and currently resides in Keyport, NJ. Inspired by a school trip to the Basie in 9th grade, Brittney’s practice is rooted in storytelling and observation—they use illustration as a way to slow down, look closely, and capture moments that often go unnoticed.

Michael White is a Red Bank artist specializing in architectural renderings. He is the artist of the Count Basie mural in Red Bank, and has made murals for the Lion Match Building in NY and the Long Island Railroad.