Salty Artists: Jo Helen Fletcher
By Cody Berry
Jo Helen Fletcher was born Jo Helen Kays on October 5, 1945, in Hot Springs. Jo graduated from Benton High School in 1963 and went on to study at the Memphis Academy of Art. She graduated with a BA from Little Rock University (now UA Little Rock) in 1967 before getting her master’s degree from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia in 1977.1
After college, Jo started teaching art at Benton Eastside Jr. High where she would continue to teach for 40 years. Jo married band director, David C. Fletcher, in 1982 and they remained together for 43 years.
Jo Helen Fletcher passed away last year on November 1, 2025, and David passed in April 2026.2 Thanks to their daughter and Saline County Library Assistant, Carol Fletcher, the Gann Museum now has five of Jo’s wonderful artworks on display as part of our “Salty Art” exhibit.
The five pieces of Jo Helen Fletcher’s art we have at the Gann Museum depict a snow-covered road, a train chugging over a mountain pass and two scenes by the water. Above them is another large painting by Fletcher of some ladies shopping outdoors. We’ve added a picture of both Jo and her husband David in the center of the display. So far, visitors at the Gann Museum have enjoyed Jo’s work, specifically the way she drew water. It looks almost as if you can reach in and feel the cool water under the cypress trees. “Salty Art” will be at the Gann until August 21.
Citations:
1 “Jo Helen Fletcher (1945 – 2025),” Smith Family Funeral Homes, https://www.smithfamilycares.com/obituaries/jo-fletcher, Date Accessed 6/29/2026 and Conversation between Cody Berry and Carol Fletcher, June 26, 2026.
2 “Jo Helen Fletcher (1945 – 2025),” Smith Family Funeral Homes, https://www.smithfamilycares.com/obituaries/jo-fletcher, Date Accessed 6/29/2026 and Conversation between Cody Berry and Carol Fletcher, June 26, 2026; “David C. Fletcher (1948-2026),” Smith Family Funeral Home, https://www.smithfamilycares.com/obituaries/david-fletcher, Date Accessed 6/29/2026.