Contemporary visual artist, author, and agricultural attorney Jillian Hishaw is presenting six original paintings at Café Audire in Charlotte's NoDa arts district. The exhibition, which opened October 19 and runs through December 9, 2026, uses vibrant colors, striking portraits, and bold environmental symbolism to confront land loss, ecological destruction, and humanity's changing relationship with nature.
The featured works—Eating Crow, Queenie, Blue Sunday, Lisa, Winter Hat, and Bird Brain—reflect Hishaw's decades of experience in agricultural law, farmland protection, and environmental conservation. Her portraits of women command attention through vivid colors and expressive features, symbolizing women's intricate relationship with nature, their role in sustaining communities, and their connection to the land across generations. Eating Crow delivers a particularly pointed environmental message, using the symbolism of Mother Nature to confront humanity's responsibility for the ecological challenges threatening the planet.
"My paintings are intentionally bold because the environmental challenges we face demand our attention," Hishaw said. "For more than two decades, I have worked to protect agricultural land and the families who depend upon it. Through art, I want people to feel the urgency of protecting Mother Nature, preserving biodiversity, and recognizing what we stand to lose."
A portion of print sales from all six artworks will be donated to Family Agriculture Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S.), the nonprofit Hishaw established nearly 15 years ago. Through its website, www.30000acres.org, the organization advances farmland protection, rural hunger relief, and emergency assistance for family farmers. Proceeds will directly support the nonprofit's Food Bank and Farmers Emergency Fund programs. The Food Bank purchases fresh produce from rural family farmers for distribution to underserved communities, while the Farmers Emergency Fund provides assistance to farmers experiencing financial hardship and threats to their agricultural livelihoods.
Since its establishment in 2013, F.A.R.M.S. has helped protect nearly $25 million in farmland assets and facilitated the donation of nearly four million pounds of fresh produce to communities in need.
Hishaw also extended her appreciation to Vishal Sanghvi, owner and founder of Café Audire, for supporting local artists and providing a welcoming space where art, music, and community intersect. "I am grateful to Vishal Sanghvi for welcoming my artwork into Café Audire and supporting my artistic journey," she said. "Providing artists with opportunities to share their work is an important contribution to Charlotte's creative community."
The exhibition is on view at Café Audire, 4090 Raleigh Street, Suite 143, Charlotte, NC 28206. More information about Hishaw's work is available at www.jillianhishaw.com.
The exhibition matters beyond the gallery walls. By tying art sales to direct aid for family farmers, Hishaw offers a model in which creative work supports agricultural resilience and rural food systems. The dual focus on land loss and ecological destruction also brings environmental advocacy into a community arts setting, potentially broadening awareness among Charlotte residents and visitors. For the farming communities F.A.R.M.S. serves, the proceeds could translate into emergency relief and continued access to fresh produce, reinforcing the link between cultural expression and tangible support for those who work the land.
