|
An Artist Looks at History ---The Lewis & Clark Expedition 1804-1806 During the winter of 2004 and summer of 2005 the artist visited, photographed and painted sites and locations of the Lewis & Clark Trail for an exhibition at the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site in Hartford, Illinois. The exhibit was planned as part of the Lewis & Clark Commemoration Bicentennial and continues on exhibit through September, 2007. Hartford, Illinois was the site of Fort Dubois, the first encampment of the Expedition in the winter of 1803/04 and it was at this site on the Mississippi River just across from St. Louis,Missouri, the Reenactment of the Lewis & Clark Expedition was launched May 14, 2004. Two years later tumultuous crowds greeted them as their dugouts carried the buckskin clad men to St. Louis September 23, 2006. A major part of her research on the Expedition and especially on early St. Louis was done at the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis. Southern Illinois is the site of Kay Smith's hometown of Vandalia, Illinois about 60 miles north of Hartford. An alumna of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she was elected Artist Laureate of Illinois in 1994 (a lifetime appointment) by the prestigious Lincoln Academy of Illinois for her "dedication to those principles of democracy and humanity exemplified by the great Illinoisan whose name we bear." Years of painting and studying our nation's heritage have given the artist an unique perspective on the events that shaped America. Her lectures describing her experiences and work are stimulating, entertaining and informative. Note: The Lewis and Clark paintings are for sale and/or available for exhibition. The American Legacy Collection is available for exhibition in its entirety or by category. Contact the artist. |
Columbus Gallery |
Colonial Gallery |
Revolutionary Gallery |
Civil War Gallery |
20thCentury Gallery |
