Earthwork Events Planned
City of Osawatomie officials are excited to announce two events in June that celebrate the City's partnership with legendary Kansas artist Stan Herd. Herd, who has been working with the City of Osawatomie this spring and summer, is debuting his larger-than-life earthwork portrait of Kansas abolitionist John Brown during the community's annual John Brown Jamboree summer festival. The stone-and-soil portrait measures approximately 80'x100' and is modeled after an early known photograph of Brown, presumed to have been taken while he lived and worked in Kansas Territory in 1856.
ARTIST OPEN HOUSE - Thursday, June 15th at 5:00pm
To kickoff the Jamboree celebrations, the City is hosting a casual open house with the artist and his team on Thursday, June 15th, 2023, at 5:00pm inside Memorial Hall. Attendees will be able to get an up close look at Herd's creative process and listen to his innumerable stories of working in Kansas prairies, Midwestern cornfields, and around the world. Herd may also be seeking volunteers to help lay the final pieces of the portrait before its official debut that weekend. Refreshments will be made available and the public is encouraged to attend prior to the community's annual Jamboree parade down Main Street later that evening. This is a rare opportunity to get to know a world-famous artist and new champion for our rural community! The John Brown Museum State Historic Site will be open late that evening for any visitors eager to learn more about John Brown, his Osawatomie family (Rev. Samuel and Florella Adair), and Osawatomie's beginnings.
PORTRAIT UNVEILING - Saturday, June 17th at 12:00pm
The portrait will be officially debuted on Saturday, June 17th, 2023 at 12:00pm. Organizers are encouraging attendees to gather on the eastern side of Memorial Hall, inside John Brown Memorial Park. This unveiling will be studded with formal remarks from Stan Herd and a number of local leaders celebrating Osawatomie's critical importance in American history and honoring the legacy of John Brown's actions here in the Bleeding Kansas era. Officials will also be sharing information and progress in our journey toward becoming a National Historical Park, which is one of the City's biggest and brightest goals. The John Brown Museum State Historic Site will be open and offering special tours of the Adair Cabin by Mary Buster, the great-great-great granddaughter of the Adairs. Mary Buster is known for sharing secret family stories not found in textbooks or other media!
People from across the country are welcome to join us for either (or both!) events and share in this monumental celebration of our community's critical history, and the role we still aim to play in the story of American history. These events are completely free and open to the public!
CONTACT
Sam Moon
Assistant City Manager
[email protected]
913-755-2146 x103