Ned Smith: The Man and the Illustrator
May 18 – September 22, 2019
Now on view in RTPI’s galleries are breathtaking original works and artifacts from the collections of the Ned Smith Center for Nature & Art! E. Stanley “Ned” Smith was born Oct. 9, 1919 in Millersburg, Pa., a small town on the Susquehanna River north of Harrisburg. A self-trained artist and naturalist, in his 46-year career he created thousands of astonishingly accurate drawings and paintings of wildlife for books, magazines and other publications, as well as dozens of limited-edition prints. Smith created nearly 120 cover paintings for Pennsylvania Game News, the agency’s magazine, and in the 1960’s he began a monthly column he dubbed “Gone for the Day” that proved to be enduringly popular. The column ran for four years, and in 1971 was republished in book form. It remains in print, one of the classics of Pennsylvania nature writing.
His freelance work included long-running columns, articles and illustrations in Sports Afield, National Wildlife, Pennsylvania Angler, South Carolina Wildlife, National Geographic and other magazines, and over the years he illustrated 14 books, including the Peterson Field Guide to Birds’ Nests by the noted naturalist Hal Harrison.
On Friday, June 28, from 5:00-7:00pm, staff from the Ned Smith Center for Nature & Art will join us for a wine and cheese reception to celebrate this stunning exhibition. The evening will feature a gallery walk and discussion with John Booth, Executive Director of the Center, as well as a screening of “Ned Smith: Gone for the Day”, a PBS documentary aired in 2017 which highlights Smith’s life and career. This event is free and open to the public.
For more information about the Ned Smith Center, please visit www.nedsmithcenter.org.
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