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PRESS RELEASEOffice of Missouri State
Treasurer |
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PRESS RELEASEOffice of Missouri State
Treasurer |
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Treasurer Steelman on Wednesday showcased a work by distinguished Missouri artist David Plank in the Capitol in celebration of Missouri Citizens for the Arts Day. Missouri Citizens for the Arts Day is held annually to acknowledge the contributions of Missouri artists to our national heritage and culture.
Steelman was joined by Plank for the event, in which a painting he created of a bald eagle was hung in the Treasurer’s office. Dozens of art enthusiasts from around the state joined the Treasurer and Plank for the event.
Plank was born in 1934 and grew up on a small farm new Salem, where he continues to make his home.
He served as the artist for the 1992 book, The Birds of Missouri –Their Distribution and Abundance, published by the University of Missouri Press and authored by Dr. David Easterla and Mark Robbins.
The Springfield Art Museum has purchased 14 of Plank’s paintings for their permanent collection and has exhibited nearly 40 of his works in recent years.
His paintings have been exhibited six times in the International Art Show, “Birds in Art” at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin.
He also created the painting used for the Missouri Breeding Bird Atlas, published in 1997 by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
He has created 10 cover paintings for “Bird Watcher’s Digest,” has had his paintings accepted into “Watercolor USA” and had a painting accepted into the National Art League Show in New York in 1997. Plank won the Best of Show award in the songbird category at the 1999 National Wildlife Art Show in Kansas City.
The painting Steelman displayed to celebrate Missouri Citizens for the Arts Day was purchased and presented to her by the Hon. Dorman and Maxine Steelman, who were on hand for the event.