Events
WAM Nights: Robert Peterson in Conversation with Terrell Jones on The Prophet
May 15, 2026 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Featured Event, FREE Event, Permanent Collection, Robert Peterson: Somewhere In America, WAM Nights
Cost:
Free | Open to the Public
Location:
Wichita Art Museum
Location: Farha Great Hall
To celebrate WAM’s new acquisition The Prophet, we invite you to hear from Robert Peterson, the artist, and Terrell Jones, renowned stylist, fashion designer, and the subject of the painting.
Following the tour of the travelling exhibition Robert Peterson: Somewhere in America, organized by WAM, we are honored to spotlight Peterson’s The Prophet and welcome both the artist and Jones to Wichita. Peterson renders African American life beautifully and joyfully in his portraits, rejecting stereotypes to celebrate the “Black experience as [he] knows it.” Although his art represents his unique perspective, Peterson hopes that his paintings also connect across lines of class, gender, age, and race, encouraging all viewers to “see something of themselves” in the works, “their neighbor, their loved one, or somebody that they grew up idolizing.” Peterson tells deeply personal—yet widely recognizable—stories of family, community, and legacy.
About Robert Peterson
Currently living and working in Lawton, OK, Robert Peterson (b. 1981) is a self-taught artist specializing in figurative painting with a concentration on portraiture. Peterson picked up a paintbrush for the first time in 2012 to distract himself from an upcoming hip surgery. A little over a decade later, he is a rising star with paintings in major museums and prominent private collections throughout the country.
His spontaneous realist portraits are “[his] truth and [his] voice” and reflect “a softer side of black people often not portrayed in the media…something that [he wants] to see more of in galleries and museums.” In 2017, Peterson made history by becoming the first African American to be recognized as Southwest Oklahoma artist of the year. In 2024, Wichita Art Museum organized the largest exhibition of his work–a traveling solo show–Robert Peterson: Somewhere in America, with support of the National Endowment for the Arts.
About Terrell Jones
For nearly 20 years, Terrell Jones has combined his innate creativity, the style concepts he learned growing up in Harlem, NY, and the skills he’s picked up as a consummate student of his industry to enhance the images of some of the NBA’s and Hip-Hop’s favorite stars, including Fat Joe and DJ Khaled. Whether creating iconic looks for clients that have inspired a generation of fans, or crafting customized pieces that have drawn the attention of the biggest luxury fashion houses, Jones not only captures but also hones his clients’ brands and personalities. A creative in his own right, he advocates for the visibility of stylists of color in the fashion and entertainment industries. “What I’ve learned over the years is that it’s deeper than style,” he explains. “When they put these clothes on, yes, what’s happening is definitely in the clothes. But there’s also something that happens in the spirit.”
