Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 26, 1993 TAG: 9306170500
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
An exhibit of 35 paintings by Ellen Axson Wilson, the first wife of President Woodrow Wilson, is on view at the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Museum in Staunton.
Ellen Axson Wilson, First Lady Artist, which remains on view through Oct. 31, marks the first national show and review of the artistic interests of Ellen Wilson, who died in the White House in 1914.
Ellen Axson studied at the Arts Students League in New York (1884-1885) before her marriage to Woodrow Wilson in 1885.
A reform-minded first lady, she painted in the American Impressionist style. The exhibit of her paintings explores the role of the first lady beyond that of White House hostess. While she faced the difficulty of being a woman in the emerging American art world, Ellen Wilson also managed to balance her central role in the Wilson and Axson families, emphasize education for all, secure the implementation of progressive reforms and concern herself with social welfare problems, especially housing problems in Washington, D.C.
Daily museum hours in Staunton are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission to the exhibit is included in the admission to the Birthplace and Museum. For visitors who wish to see the exhibit only, admission is free. For more information, call 885-0897.
Highland conference
Radford University's annual Highland Summer Conference will be June 14-25 and will focus on children's literature of the Appalachian Mountain region.
Visiting artists, all writers of children's books set in the Appalachian mountains, will be Gloria Houston, Jeff Daniel Marion, George Ella Lyon and Peter Catalanotto. Registration is limited to 20 and pre-registration is required by June 1.
For more information, call 831-5614, 831-5629 or 831-6150.
by CNB