Delrico Gibson

Delrico Gibson (born April 9, 1958 in Detroit, Michigan; died August 26, 2023) was a restaurateur and artist.

Gibson grew up in East Detroit. Later he and his family lived in Oakland, California's Temescal neighborhood.

After he retired, Gibson moved to Clanton. He opened a soul food restaurant there in February 2020. On February 29 he was caught in the flames while kindling a fire in the restaurant's smoker with gasoline. He was treated at UAB Hospital for severe burns and kept in a medically-induced coma for 37 days.

During his recovery and rehabilitation, Gibson created a series of artworks entitled "Strings of Gratitude", with each piece addressed to one of the professionals who helped him recover from his injuries, including UAB surgeons René Pierre Myers and James Hwang and the UAB Hand Therapy Clinic's Kelly Border and Diane Coleman, as well as UAB Media Relations' Shannon Thomason. The collection was exhibited at the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts from June 9 to August 12, 2023.

References

• Thomason, Shannon (May 23, 2023) "Alabama artist who nearly died creates art for the people who saved him." UAB News
• Akin, Emery (May 30, 2023) "Burn victim pays homage to his UAB doctors through art exhibition." CBS42.com
• Shaw, Josie (August 11, 2023) "Alabama artist Delrico Gibson uses ‘Strings of Gratitude’ to tell his story of recovery." wbhm.org