LEWIS & CLARK ART EXHIBITION FEATURES PLANT, ANIMAL DISCOVERIES

 

“Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains: The Natural History of the Expedition of Discovery,” is the March-April art exhibit  at the Dawson County Historical Museum Art Gallery. The exhibit features 50 works of photos and illustrations on the theme of the Corps of Discovery from the collection of the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln. Works feature the flora and fauna discovered by Lewis and Clark while on the Great Plains.

 

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off up the Missouri River on May 14, 1804, with a crew of more than 40 men comprising the Corps of Discovery. They had no detailed knowledge of what lands or adventures might lay before them. When the group returned in late September 1806, they had made more discoveries of the landscapes, rivers, native cultures, zoology and botany of our continent than has any North American scientific expedition before or since.

 

“This exhibit sets  the stage for students and visitors of the wonders of the discoveries made by Lewis and Clark, many right here in Nebraska,” stated Barb Vondras, museum director. “We wanted to feature this collection this spring as a foreword to the upcoming five-day Chautauqua celebration to be held in the community in July.”

 

These works illustrate many of the plants and animals encountered and documented by Lewis and Clark within the boundaries of the Great Plains. The exhibit was guest-curated by Paul A. Johnsgard, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Foundation Professor emeritus of biological sciences, and includes photographs by Jon Farrar, Bob Gress and Robert B. Kaul, as well as photographs and drawings by Johnsgard.

 

The artists in the exhibit have impressive and extensive backgrounds in Great Plains research. Johnsgard has written more than 40 books, including “Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains,” “The Nature of Nebraska: Ecology and Biodiversity,” and “Crane Music: A Natural History of American Cranes.” Gress is director of the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, Kan., and Kaul is also an emeritus professor at UNL. Farrar is senior editor for Nebraskaland magazine.

 

Visitors will have the unique experience to be able to view individual artists work, to learn about the plants and animals encountered by and documented by Lewis and Clark, and to celebrate the historical discoveries made by the expedition. “This is a collaborative effort of the outreach program for traveling exhibits from the Great Plains Art  Museum, plus is co-sponsored by the Lexington Area Arts Council and the Dawson County Historical Society. We look forward to hosting groups, organizations, and schools for the exhibit.” Included with the exhibit are pre-visit lesson plans and other educational material for schools and touring groups. Other activities in July include a children’s  “Lewis & Clark Adventure Day”, The Plains Pow Wow collection from the Great Plains Art Museum, by international photographer, Tom Tidball, with other activities and events.

 

The Great Plains Art Museum located at 1155 Q Street-Hewit Place in Lincoln is part of The Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Center is an interdisciplinary, intercollegiate, regional research and teaching program to foster the study of people and the environment in the Great Plains region.  

    

The Dawson County Historical Museum is open, Monday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Tours for schools and other groups may be scheduled by calling 308-324-5340.

 

News Release:         Art Exhibit

From:                          Dawson County Historical Museum

                                    805 Taft, Lexington, NE 68850

                                    (308)324-5340

Date:                           February 25, 2005

Attachment:              Information about exhibit and artists

 

 

Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains

The Natural History of the Expedition of Discovery

Photographs by Bob Gress, Jon Farrar and Robert B. Kaul

Photographs and Drawings by Paul A. Johnsgard

Sponsored by

Lexington Area Arts Council and the Dawson County Historical Museum

From the collection of the

Great Plains Art Museum-Lincoln, Nebraska

 

March-April 2005

At the Dawson County Historical Society Art Museum

805 N. Taft, LEXINGTON, NE. 68850

Hours: 9-5 Monday-Saturday. Closed Sunday

 

 

ATTENTION: News, Education, Art, Science, Calendar Editors

EDITOR: A color JPEG image of a Paul Johnsgard photo of a bison group is available online (ftp://ucommxsrv1.unl.edu/downloadables/photo/20040421bison.jpg). The photo will be part of the exhibition.

 

WHEN: March 1- April 30, 2005.

WHERE: Dawson County Historical Museum’s Art Gallery, 805 N. Taft, Lexington

CONTACT: Barbara Vondras, DCHS Museum Director 308-324-5340 or dcmuseum@atcjet.net or Reece Summers, Curator, Great Plains Art Collection, (402) 472-0599 (asummers3@unl.edu)

GREAT PLAINS ART COLLECTION WEB SITE: http://www.unl.edu/plains

 

L & W News  Release