Jefferson National Expansion Memorial will be hosting a special exhibit in the Old Courthouse between February 14 and August 22, 2010. Created especially for the memorial, the exhibit consists of about 40 delightful watercolor paintings of buildings that once stood on the Arch grounds, with maps showing their locations, original architectural fragments from the buildings, interpretive text, and an artist’s statement.
The paintings are by local artist Sheila Harris, who taught art in Rosary High School for 36 years. The exhibit is curated by her sister, NiNi Harris, a local historian and the author of nine books on St. Louis history, architecture, neighborhoods, and the Gateway Arch.
The “portraits” of buildings will depict structures from several generations of the city’s architectural history, woven through with a theme explaining changes in the built riverfront landscape over time. The paintings will be grouped based on four historic and stylistic eras on the riverfront. The exhibit will focus primarily on the history of the landscape, and not the aesthetics of the paintings, except in the artist’s statement.
Visitors will be able to get a taste of aesthetics, however, when Sheila Harris offers one of her artist’s demonstrations. A schedule of these demonstrations will be available soon. NiNi and several of her friends will also offer a historical play based on the exhibit during its run. NiNi offers that the exhibit will “expand in a different media the riverfront story, and bring to life the fact that there was once a wonderful collection of buildings there, ranging from simple to ornate, from modest to grandiose. We have been so very fortunate in St. Louis, for we tore down a great collection of buildings but got a great sculpture and landscape in their place. This is very rare in history, and is one of the points I hope the exhibit will demonstrate.”
Paintings can be purchased and reserved for pick-up after the exhibit. Proceeds of the sales will support the educational programming for the Old Courthouse and Gateway Arch. Be sure to make time to see this new exhibit and its unique mixture of history and art. For more information please visit the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial website at www.nps.gov/jeff or call 314.655.1600.
