Part two of a series of personal artwork that I didn't realize I was doing a themed series until I woke up this morning today for Lincoln's Birthday where we have an official holiday and the day off from work (here in Illinois). I'd like to share this one as I don't always share my artwork.
For those that don't know, I live in Springfield, Illinois. Home of President Abraham Lincoln and where he is buried. I grew up in "The Land of Lincoln" and have been soooooooooo surrounded by Lincoln all my life that you begin to take him for granted. Lincoln is everywhere. "Oh well" you think becoming numb to his name. Especially where everything around here is named after him and he is branded on most things.
But today feels different for me.
Since I was a kid, I collected Lincoln Pennies. Well, this year, Trump ordered the U.S. Treasury to stop producing new pennies. Part of me feels that is symbolic of the times though I know others will say logically it was cost prohibitive because it now costs three pennies to press a one-cent penny. It makes cents. I mean sense. But you know.
In these times, instead of thinking "Lincoln" is just a name of a local town, a name of a high school, our local airport here in Springfield, or the name of the local cab company... the armchair historian and hobbiest that I am who loves collecting Lincoln pennies and Lincoln on postage stamps (going back to the second official U.S. Stamp ever printed... my philately geekiness is showing) wants this to follow up to my recent MLK jr. drawing from a few weeks back as I think about Lincoln then and what he means to me now with the memory of his words today.
I remember my impressionable childhood that the first "real" book I ever read as a kid was Lincoln's biography around the time I was in second grade. Before I even moved to Springfield that next year in third grade. My ancestors from the South fought for the Confederacy on the other side and opposed Lincoln and the North. I have that part of my family's history that I acknowledge and it has led me to look at history and our society. However, growing up in Springfield and having Lincoln's heritage and memory as part of my DNA makes me realize that he was indeed one of our greatest American Presidents for a reason.
I, myself, truly respect Lincoln and admire him. Controversial to some, I know. And even so 161 years after his assassination that he didn't do enough of this, or he did that, or whatever. I'm not getting into that. I hope all Americans may continue to look up to him, honor his memory, and think about what he represents as we should lean into "The Better Angels of Our Nature" as he spoke about in his first inaugural address.
Just this week, I helped design a poster as a collaboration between the Illinois State Board of Education (where I work at as my "day job") and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum here in town for the upcoming Illinois Arts Education Week where students from Illinois (Kindergarten through High School) entered a competition to showcase their artwork for America's 250th Anniversary.
I've drawn Lincoln before. Sometimes for farcical reasons (My Benedictine University folks might remember the "Imma B" campaign. 'Nuff said.). But this time, I woke up this morning, paused and thought on having the day off (like we did for MLK, Jr.), and wanted to truly use this day to think about his legacy. I looked at one of his old photos for reference where he had a glint of a smile that I always loved. I think about visiting his home. His grave. And to have walked in rooms and streets that he himself walked.
So, I let this drawing, if you will, come out of me as my sincere expression and hope for America as a reminder that we remember Lincoln's Gettysburg Address that we had to memorize as kids over the founding principles of our country where he urged Americans to dedicate themselves to preserving the Union and ensuring the "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth" in which liberty and equality will be granted to us all as inalienable rights.
Anyways, I'm rambling.
Thank you, Honest Abe.
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