Tuesday, October 1 – 6 PM
Historic Cane Hill College
14219 College Road, Cane Hill

Using family photos, media clippings, and photos of Essie Ward’s paintings, Rachel Whitaker will explore Essie Ward’s life and her art.

Rachel Whitaker is a historian at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. She grew up in Highfill, Arkansas, and attended school in nearby Gentry until she began homeschool in the seventh grade. She attended college at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her educational background is in history and libraries. Rachel’s work in the history field has included internships at George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri, and the Hunter’s Home in Park Hill, Oklahoma. She also spent time among the Kiowa tribe in southwestern Oklahoma, working on a project to collect animal tales. Rachel is currently a history instructor at Connors State College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She spends her limited spare time outside or reading something not assigned by her professors

These public programs are offered free of charge, but reservations are required due to limited seating. Click here to reserve tickets.

Folk artist Essie Treat Ward was born in 1902 in Searcy County, where she resided until her death in 1981. Often called the “Grandma Moses of the Ozarks,” Essie was featured at the Smithsonian’s Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C. in 1970. Her pieces chronicle the often humorous everyday life in the Ozarks of fictional characters Miranda and Hezzakiah. Essie began drawing when she was a young girl and made art throughout her life without the benefit of formal training.

Paintings from the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History’s Jeanne Hoffer-Tucker Collection.

Featured image: Essie Ward at her Easel

Historic Cane Hill College, 14219 College Rd, Cane Hill

The Gallery is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10:00am – 2:00pm.
Appointments for private tours are welcome and group tours are encouraged.

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

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