The My Hero Project -

MY HERO Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration
Presenting a Global Lincoln Art Gallery by Artist Laureate of Illinois Kay Smith

Our deepest gratitude goes out to artist Kay Smith, for her generous contributions to the MY HERO Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration. Her beautiful watercolor paintings give such breadth and depth to American history, and the time period in which Abraham Lincoln lived.

These Paintings Also Appear in:
Holding Hands With History
a traveling art exhibition on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln
in the context of our national history from 1775 to 1865
Holding Hands With History is an exhibition of 45 watercolors Kay Smith painted at the sites where our history happened--the battlefields where our forebears fought, the estates and cabins where they lived, and the landmarks they left that tell our American story.

So few Americans really understand and appreciate the events and the people who shaped the United States of America. Holding Hands With History uses art as a prism to visually reflect on those events and the role Abraham Lincoln played in preserving our American heritage: the federal union and the concept of one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

It was important 200 years ago; it is even more important today that we do not take this legacy for granted. Holding Hands With History and its stories challenge the attitude that history is dull, happened somewhere else, and is irrelevant to modern lives.

Please scroll down to see the paintings in this gallery.
Visit Kay Smith's website to view more of her paintings and learn more about The American Legacy Collection. Click Here.

Click here to see Kay Smith talk about her exhibit on the Pritzker Military Library website.

Artwork

Carl Sandburg's Cottage by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Mount Rushmore by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	The Wilmer McLean House by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois
Berry Lincoln Store by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Old State House, Vandalia, Il (Second Capitol of Illinois) by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Old State Capitol, Springfield, (Third Capitol of Illinois) by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois
Tom Lincoln's Homestead, Charleston, Illinois by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Lincoln's Home, Springfield, Illinois by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Lincoln's Bedroom, Springfield, Illinois by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Lincoln's Store by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois
Yorktown Battlefield by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	White House in the Snow, Washington, DC by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Vicksburg Battlefield by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	The U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois
Shirley Plantation on the James River by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	The Home of Ulysses S. Grant, Galena, IL by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Bronze Bell of Illinois by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Widow Clarke House by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois
Black Hawk, Indian Warrior by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois	Fort Moultrie, South Carolina by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois