The public is invited to the first in a series of lectures offered by the Johnson Center for the Arts on Wednesday.

Artist Don Stewart of Homewood will be the guest lecturer at 11 a.m. Following the lecture, those who attend the luncheon at The Studio will have an opportunity to meet the artist and talk with him about his artwork, said Vicki Pritchett, Johnson Center executive director.

There is a $10 charge for the luncheon and reservations must be made by 5 p.m. Monday. To make reservations, call the Johnson Center at 334-670-2287.

“We have had many requests for the Johnson Center to begin a lecture series and Don Stewart’s lecture is the first in the series,” Pritchett said. “Don will be in Troy for our Tony Scott ArtBridges Teacher workshop Wednesday through Friday. We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity by opening the lecture up to the public. It is an ideal time to kick off our lecture series.”

Stewart’s composite image drawings will be on display at the Johnson Center for the Arts in August and he will be back in the county in October to go into the classrooms of the teachers who participated in the workshop.

Pritchett said Stewart’s lecture is the beginning of what is expected to be a popular event at the Johnson Center.

“We will have quarterly lectures on a variety of topics in hopes that these lectures will be a way to enrich the lives of the people in Pike and surrounding counties who enjoy art,” Pritchett said.

The second lecture is planned for October with Dr. Robert Gilliam of Troy as the lecturer.

“Dr. Gilliam is a collector of face jugs,” Pritchett said. “He has some rare face jugs and he will share the fascinating history of face jugs. We will also have some of his face jugs on display at the Johnson Center.”

Pritchett said she is excited about the lecture series and is looking forward to the lectures that will focus on unusual topics that span the scope of the visual arts.