Words We Know the Songs To is a special exhibition of 8 paintings by Clear Lake, Iowa artist Jaclyn Garlock, including 9 recently completed paintings from her series Hang 10, recalling Moondoggie surfer lingo of the 50s and 60s, which depicts people in and about the historical Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Garlock’s larger than life paintings are dedicated to the many performers who played and people who attended shows at the Surf, making it the icon that it is today.

The Surf is most famous for the last concert played by Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens in 1959 who died tragically in a plane crash following their performance. Beyond its infamous history, the Surf Ballroom and many other similar ballrooms across the Midwest were host to all the big name bands of the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Before bands played to stadium crowds they toured the rural Midwest playing ballroom venues. Today the Surf Ballroom continues to be a venue for touring musicians. It was restored in 1994 and now also includes a

museum. The Surf Ballroom has received state and national registry recognition and in 2009 was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Landmark Series. Jaclyn Garlock was born in Storm Lake, Iowa in 1950. She received a B.A. in Art and Secondary Education in 1973 from Adams State University in Colorado. In 1975 she started a screenprinting business creating complex photorealistic serigraphs, all hand drawn and hand pulled. Jaclyn progressed into painting in 2000, building a body of figurative works and showing them regionally at art fairs and in galleries. In 2008, she was able to commit to painting full-time.