“Faces of the Riverfront: Portraits of Historic Buildings,” Special Exhibit—National Park Service
February 14-August 22, 2010 | The Old Courthouse is open daily from 8:00 a.m. until 4:40 p.m.
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Created especially for the memorial, the exhibit consists of 40 watercolor paintings of buildings that once stood on the Arch grounds accompanied by maps showing their locations, original architectural fragments from the buildings, interpretive text and an artist's statement. St. Louis artist Sheila Harris, who taught art at Rosary High School for 36 years, painted the images; NiNi Harris, the artist's sister, curates the show. NiNi is a well known local historian and the author of nine books on St. Louis history, architecture, city neighborhoods and the Gateway Arch. Sheila Harris' "portraits" of buildings depict structures from several generations of the city's architectural history, organized around a theme explaining changes in the built riverfront landscape over time. The paintings are grouped based on four historic and stylistic eras on the riverfront. The artist will discuss and demonstrate her technique during several to-be-scheduled appearances at the Courthouse. A schedule of the demonstrations will be available online at the following
LINK once it is finalized. NiNi and Sheila Harris have also written an historical play based on the exhibit which will be presented on Sunday March 21 at 2:00 (at the Old Court House). The Old Court House is located at 11 North 4th Street, Downtown.
