Paul Dorrell’s Blog

On Friday we took a group of 60 young artists from Paseo Academy on a field trip to Lexington, MO. 

Why Lex?  It was the site of a Civil War battle in 1861, and the town is filled with antebellum architecture.  Many of the old houses are still battle-scarred, with even a cannonball embedded in one of the courthouse columns.  The professional artists Brian Slawson and Louie Copt served as mentors, along with the kids’ teachers.

Too few kids, whatever their race, grasp the import of that war, the sacrifices behind it, or the profound impact it had on the nation and, indirectly, their lives.  By taking these rascals there, teasing them, encouraging them, and subtly teaching the history, I believe they grasped more about the war in one day than they have in all their previous years.  I also took them down to the MO River, just so they could get a sense of its immenseness and see the valley from a different perspective.

So they spent their time sketching, photographing, collecting souvenirs, and generally preparing for the gallery show that will follow this trip.  When will that gig be?  First week of Dec.  All in all, one heckuva day.