People gather in the dimly lit Carleton University Art Gallery. Speaking in hushed tones, some look at the art painted on the walls.
The sound of chairs scraping against wood fills the air, along with a surge in conversation, as people find their seats
"We're especially please to welcome Mary Ann Carroll;" applause fills the room
Vicki Heyman, wife of Bruce Heyman (U.S. Ambassador to Canada) speaks to the audience. "Such a wonderful place for enriching thought," she says about the Carleton Art Gallery. Heyman took a moment to explain her belief that art and an artist's voice are the most powerful vehicle for change. "We [Heyman and her husband] really make cultural diplomacy through the arts central in our work," she says.
"I've been drawing since I was a little girl, drawing on the ground" - Carroll, seated before the audience, begins her talk with her first art experiences.
The talk moves into it's question and answer period. Someone asks what her reaction was to Obama getting elected president. Carroll pauses, "It was surprising. It's something that I never thought would happen."
An audience member mentions John Maynor and talks about how many Highwaymen are left.
The Highwaymen were not a group that painted collectively all the time, but would come together to talk and occasionally test each others abilities.
They didn't challenge anyone they didn't think they could beat, Carroll explained as the seated crowd laughs
Carroll in addition to being the only female Highwaymen is also a preacher.