Lori Gene (1956-2014) was an Assistant Professor of Art at DeKalb College/Georgia Perimeter College for several years and was inspired by the faculty, community and student musicians in her orbit. She spent many hours sitting in the midst of rehearsals and performances of solo musicians, chamber groups, and even large ensembles such as the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Emory Symphony Orchestra. This “communing” with musicians led to a vast collection of drawings in Lori Gene’s distinctive kinetic style. Lori Gene’s works became popular with collectors in the Southeast and beyond, so much so that she eventually left her position at Georgia Perimeter to work as an independent artist.

A subset of eight of these drawings was donated by Lori Gene’s husband to Peach State Opera, Georgia’s Premier Touring Opera Company, with the intention of the works being sold to support PSO’s mission of sharing live opera with small communities in the Southeast. Each work is a graphite pencil drawing on quality, fade-resistant cotton rag paper. Six of these drawings were auctioned at the opening performance of the “La bohème” tour.