Lincoln, Race, Slavery & Citizenship | Adam Smith | Tuesday, September 13, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Student Union Ballroom

Join us as we explore Lincoln’s legacy for contemporary society through the perspectives of 20 Illinois artists and a scholar from the United Kingdom. The UIS Visual Arts Gallery*, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, and the Springfield Art Association are currently exhibiting 38 new works on Lincoln’s legacy. Oxford scholar Adam Smith, a leading authority on Abraham Lincoln, will help us to interpret important themes in the artists’ work. He will provide a global perspective on slavery and inequality in the 19th century and will also explain how Lincoln’s skillful leadership moved the nation towards greater freedom and equality. In grappling with the issues of race and identity in his time, even if not resolving them, Lincoln provides one of the most important examples of engaged citizenship in our nation’s history.

*Please view the Lincoln exhibit at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery before the event. The gallery will also be open immediately following the event. Light refreshments will be served. The gallery is located in HSB 201, and regular gallery hours are Monday-Thursday 11 am - 6 pm. The exhibit will run through September 15.

This event was made possible by Making Our History: Artists Render Lincoln’s Legacy, a grant funded by the 2021 University of Illinois Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and Humanities.

Co-Sponsored by the UIS Center for Lincoln Studies