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| History of Lawrence Tour with Steve
Jansen (Sunday, August 4, 2:00-4:00 PM) |
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| Steve Jansen, a notable local historian and compelling lecturer with over twenty years experience, will lead the group on a visual tour of the turbulent free state and civil war history that gave birth to Lawrence. The tour will start at the lovely Watkins Community Museum of History for a slide show of historic Lawrence. The group will then take a bus tour of downtown and the Kansas University campus as Steve tells the saga of this pioneer town. He will describe the evolution of the University of Kansas since its inception in 1866, the role of the Kansas River and the transcontinental railroad in the city's development, and the accelerating post-World War II growth and urbanization. Come along and receive the rich sense of place embodied in the colorful city which will be your home for a week! | |
| Prairies, The Lawrence Tour with Craig
Freeman (Wednesday, August 7, 8:30-11:30 AM) |
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| Craig Freeman will take the group on a lively tour of a local prairie to examine some of the plants and animals in this unique ecosystem. The tour will emphasize the ecology and plants of the native tallgrass prairie. Craig will either guide members through Aiken Prairie in Douglas County or Kill Creek Prairie in Johnson County, depending on the flowering displays and conditions. Craig is the curator-in-charge at the R.L. McGregor Herbarium and Associate Scientist of the Kansas Biological Survey. He is a wonderful guide for this introduction to the ecology and biota of a very special region. | |
| Tour of Hallmark Cards, Inc, in Kansas
City, MO. (Wednesday, August 7, 12:15-5:20 PM, limit of ten people) |
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| Mark Spencer, the Creative Resource
Manager for Hallmark Cards, has arranged a tour especially for us!
Attendees will get to see behind the scenes at Hallmark Cards, a privilege
not available to most mortals. The tour will include a visit to the
CreativeLibrary, the Creative Resource Gallery and a visit with a
group of Hallmark illustrators. Participants can also visit the Hallmark Visitors' Center if time allows (this gives a good overview of the history of the company). This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see the archives and artistry of Hallmark. |
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| Hiking and Sketching the Konza Prairie (Thursday, August 8, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM) |
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| Konza Prairie is a tallgrass reserve under the joint stewardship of the Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. It is approximately an hour and a half drive west from Lawrence. Here one can experience that tallgrass prairie as the pioneers would have-a vast, beautiful sea of grassland. On this field trip, participants will spend the morning on morning hikes led by docents. There are two choices of hikes: the first is the three-mile Nature Trail, which winds through bottom lands, crosses Kings' Creek, Dewey Ranch old brome fields, and climbs over ancient limestone ledges until it reaches the tallgrass prairie. At the highest point, the trail gives a spectacular view of Konza Prairie and the Kansas River Valley. Just off this trail is the Hokanson Homestead settled by Swedish immigrants in 1878. Allow two and a half hours to enjoy this hike. The second trail is the Butterfly Hill Hike, a shorter trail and easier walk available for groups with special requirements. This has most of the components of the Nature Trail in a more compact area with fewer and less steep hills to climb. Allow one and a half hours for this tour. At noon, folks can congregate for a sack lunch at the picnic area. In the afternoon, a docent will accompany the group on a bus or van ride along the Bison Loop and talk about the bison herd and round-up, deer, and other wildlife and native plants, conservation and prairie management by grazing and fire. This is a great opportunity to get up close to a bison. Keep in mind that the bison have 2,300 acres to roam as they please. There is always the chance that they may be out of view (this happens only rarely). This can take 45 minutes to one and a half hours depending on the group and bison encounters. All modern-day illustrator-pioneers should plan to bring along a hat, water bottles, sunscreen, and sunglasses along with their sketching supplies! | |
| A Day at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of
Art and the Linda Hall Library (Friday, August 9, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM) |
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Prepare for a great treat at this gem of a museum
in the heart of the Midwest! Participants will spend some time in
the morning at the Linda Hall Library, an independent library of
science, engineering and technology. After a brief tour of the library
and viewing of special requests, everyone will convene at the Nelson-Atkins
for a presentation, browsing, and a delicious lunch! The Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art is one of the country's premier art institutions.
Its rich collections bring together masterpieces from every culture
and period of the world, from ancient times to the present day.
The Museum opened its doors in 1933 as a gift to the community from
William Rockhill Nelson (1841-1915), founder of The Kansas City
Star. Contributions from the estate of Mary McAfee Atkins (1836-1911)
helped build the building. The Nelson-Atkins has prestigious collections
of European and American art. The American art collection is one
of the country's finest surveys of the art of the United States
from Colonial times to 1945, containing such masterpieces as Thomas
Hart Benton's Persephone. Above all, the museum is known for its
magnificent collection of Asian art, notably the arts of China,
which has made it one of the nation's centers for the study of Chinese
art. The collection is considered one of the finest in the Western
world for its scope, depth and consistently high quality. It includes
art from China, Japan, Iran, Indonesia, Korea, India and other countries.
Modern sculpture is another area of distinction, both inside the
Museum and outdoors in The Kansas City Sculpture Park, which features
the country's largest collection of monumental bronzes by the British
sculptor Henry Moore as well as works by other modern masters. The
Museum also is home to outstanding collections of ancient art, decorative
arts and the arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. In addition
to the permanent collection, visitors may enjoy an ever-changing
schedule of special exhibitions organized by the Nelson-Atkins and
other institutions.
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