Art History with Jeffrey Spencer
"An Undoubted Master" The Life and Work of J. Laurie Wallace
J.Laurie Wallace studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia under Thomas Eakins. Eakins considered Wallace his favorite student, and by 1881 he had become one of Eakins’ assistants at the Academy, holding the position of Chief Demonstrator of Anatomy. During this time, Wallace also posed for many of Eakins’ greatest works. He taught at the Art Institute of Chicago and exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition. Wallace came to Omaha, Nebraska in 1891, as Director of the Western Art Association. Although sometimes unhappy in Omaha, he remained there the rest of his life held by “the bills people owe me and the beauty of the Missouri River Valley.”
Please be our guest for Art History with Jeffrey Spencer, a monthly lecture series discussing Nebraskan artists and Omaha's connections in the art world.
Where: Carriage House at Joslyn Castle & Gardens (3902 Davenport Street, Omaha, NE 68131)
When: Thursday, May 29 from 6pm-7pm (doors open at 5:30pm)
What: A FREE all ages event.
About the author:
Jeffrey Spencer has long been associated with numerous historical and community organizations in the greater Omaha area. A graduate of the University of Nebraska, he has lectured and written extensively on many aspects of local history. He has served as a Trustee of the Nebraska State Historical Society, President of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Historical Association, Executive Director of the Historic General Dodge House Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Director of the Library/Archives Center of the Douglas County Historical Society and as Executive Director of Landmarks, Incorporated (an organization involved with neighborhood redevelopment and historic preservation in Omaha. Currently, he is associated with Preserve Omaha, a local historic preservation group and is a member of their Board of Directors.
