As a part of the This Time Tomorrow Festival organized by the Contemporary Arts Center, Jay Bolotin's new theater piece, a combination of animation and live performance titled The Darktown Sermons, will be presented April 6th & 7th at the Carnegie Theater. It is a story of a somewhat confused Preacher (voice of Will Oldham, aka Bonnie Prince Billy) as he descends a ladder from heaven where he visited the angels. They were not what he expected. Back on earth, he seems suddenly able to hear and see where song comes from. A cast of earthly characters inhabit his sermons, including Raggedy Man and Fay (both played live by Ali Edwards of the band, Ruby Vileos) who emerge from the animation to join Bolotin on stage. In addition to the performance, Bolotin's most recent series of woodcut prints titled The L Portfolio will be on display.

Jay Bolotin's work spans across media, including but not limited to printmaking, drawing, sculpture, animation, and song-writing. His ability to navigate these varied fields relies on his commitment to narrative structure. His interest lies in weaving Judeo-Christian creation stories and personal mythologies as a means to better understand the human condition.

In 2018, The Delmore Recording Society released No One Seems to Notice That It’s Raining, a selection of songs Bolotin wrote between 1970-1975, the first of three planned Delmore LP's. His songwriting has been admired and covered by many including Porter Wagoner, David Allen Coe, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and Dan Fogelberg.

His most recent film, The Silence of Professor Tösla, a collaboration with the celebrated Mexican essayist Ilan Stavans, has won many awards including Best Animation at the Prague Independent Film Festival. He’s currently working on The Book of Only Enoch, a film featuring composited graphite drawings and extensive physical sets in partnership with guitarist Bill Frisell, and the voices of Will Oldham, Brad Dourif, and others.

Jay Bolotin has had solo shows at institutions including the Samek Art Gallery, Bucknell University; Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati; Joslyn Art Center, Omaha; Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; Vanderbilt University, Nashville. His woodcut prints and sculpture are included in numerous public and private collections including Australian National Museum; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; Georgia Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego; Smith College Museum of Art; Museum of Modern Art, New York; New York Public Library; and Seattle Art Museum.