Hubbard Symposium
Boone
County, Ky., Library to hold
Hubbard event in March
By
Amy Casebier
Contributing Writer
March in Boone County will be an ideal time and location
for Harlan and Anna Hubbard fans to experience the couple’s lifestyle
and beliefs.
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Photo
provided Artwork
by Harlan Hubbard, like his |
The Boone County Public Library is planning an exhibit
called “An Artful Way of Life: Kentucky’s Own Harlan and Anna
Hubbard.” The exhibition will kick off on Saturday, March 1, with
a special symposium and will run through the month.
Saturday’s symposium will consist of several speakers and video
documentary screenings. The exhibit itself will showcase different examples
of Harlan’s artwork, including oil paintings, watercolors and woodcuts.
This event is co-sponsored by Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington,
Ky. It is donating some paintings to the exhibit. Other works will come
from the collection of Bill Caddell, who was a close friend of the Hubbards
and now lives in Frankfort, Ind.
Representatives from the Baker Hunt Foundation and the Behringer-Crawford
Museum are scheduled to participate in the library, although Adult Program
Coordinator Collin Taylor invites other groups who have connections
or interests in the Hubbards to attend to pass out information on their
work.
The public library has rotating events. This past winter, the theme
was arts and crafts. For the spring, the theme is nature, so a Harlan
Hubbard exhibit transitions perfectly between the two themes, Taylor
said.
Laurie Risch, executive director of the Behringer-Crawford Museum, is
helping with the event. In 1986, Harlan Hubbard donated some of his
artwork to the museum. Since then, the organization has worked to build
their collection, Risch said. “I believe we’re the largest
public holder of Harlan’s works,” she said.
The museum used to have a gallery reserved solely for Hubbard’s
art, but now his paintings are incorporated throughout the museum.
Both Risch and Taylor said they were confident about the outcome of
the symposium and exhibition at the library. “It should be a resounding
success,” Risch said. “Harlan has a following.”
Taylor first became interested in the Hubbards after reading Wendell
Berry, who wrote a biography called “Harlan Hubbard: Life and Work.”
“It’s possible to live a civilized and elegant lifestyle without
conveniences,” Taylor said.
Although both Harlan and Anna are deceased, many enthusiasts remain
intrigued with the couple’s ideas, lives and works. People often
draw connections between Harlan and transcendentalist writer Henry David
Thoreau, who retreated for about two years to Walden Pond, Risch said.
“In today’s hustle and bustle, why can’t we turn the
clock back?” she asked. “Hopefully, the symposium and exhibition
at the library will inspire both dreams and a greater understanding
of the Hubbards’ lives, Risch said.
“That’s what history is – understanding the past and
taking it for the present and future,” she said.
• For more information about the symposium and exhibition at Boone County Public Library, contact Collin Taylor at (859) 292-3393 or (859) 689-0435.