Once his photographer brother introduced him to the sand dunes of Indiana in 1911, Frank Virgil Dudley

devoted the rest of his creative life to painting landscapes of the area’s stunning scenery and unique diversity,

becoming one of the state’s preeminent artists. His well-earned titles of “Seer of the Dunes” and “Painter of the Dunes”

allude to his subject matter as well as his activism to save the dunes. The desire to protect the lakeshore from industrial construction

and to preserve it for recreation and scientific research unified preservationists, artists, outdoor enthusiasts, and scientists.

Rachel Berenson Perry is the former fine arts curator of the Indiana State Museum, where she organized and curated all of the art exhibitions from 2003 through 2011. She’s written numerous articles for American Art Review and Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History (Indiana Historical Society), and her books include The Life and Art of Felrath Hines: From Dark to Light (Indiana University Press 2019); The House of the Singing Winds: The Life and Work of T.C. Steele (Indiana Historical Society Press 2016); William J Forsyth: The Life and Work of an Indiana Artist (Indiana University Press, 2014); Painting Indiana III: Heritage of Place (Indiana University Press, 2013); Barry Gealt: Embracing Nature (Indiana University Press, 2012); Paint and Canvas: A Biography of T. C. Steele (Indiana Historical Society, 2012); T. C. Steele and the Society of Western Artists 1896-1914 (Indiana University Press, 2009); and Children from the Hills: The Life and Work of Ada Walter Shulz (Artist Colony Press, 2001). She currently lives in Nashville, Indiana.

This free program is presented by the Friends of the Library.