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After completing her studies at the School of the Art Institute the artist
worked as an illustrator. As the 1976 Bicentennial approached there was
a fever of interest in American history. In 1971 she was asked to
illustrate a book on the American Revolutionary War period which
required her to travel to historic locations to paint the actual scenes.
As her travels crossed and crisscrossed the paths of the patriots, she
entered their lives and was forever caught in the inescapable skeins of
history and thrust into the role of historical painter. What began as a
single assignment has grown over the past 40 plus years into the largest
collection of American historical-site paintings ever created by a
single artist. |
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The American Legacy Collection is a dramatic panorama of this country's
historical places and its defining moments. Kay Smith's original
watercolors chronicle 500 years of the American experience and preserve
with an artist's palette our American heritage.
In 1994, she was given a lifetime designation as Artist Laureate of
Illinois in recognition of the contribution the American Legacy makes to
our heritage and history. She has painted each of the 250 works in the
Collection on site of the historic monuments, battlefields, landmarks,
and national and cultural events. Through these insightful, engaging
watercolors, she presents a powerful narrative of American life - from
the cheerful Colonial Kitchen at Sturbridge to the quiet sorrow of
Vicksburg Battlefield to the proud Relighting of the Statue of Liberty.
The artist has kept The American Legacy Collection intact with the
purpose of establishing a museum for the paintings either privately or
in league with an established museum valuing historical art--a permanent
home where it can be viewed in its entirety, bringing the scope of the
American story boldly to life for generations to come.
The American Legacy
Collection Foundation
The Galleries
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Contact Kay Smith
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