Take an intimate trip to a small area of southeast Nebraska, rich in natural beauty and colorful history, as seen through the eyes of watercolorist John Frederick Lokke and poet Jan Chism Wright.

Submitted by Louan Beard, Assistant, Morton-James Public Library

The Morton-James Public Library has announced the exhibition of The Barada Hills of Nebraska: Watercolors by John Frederick Lokke and Poetry by Jan Chism Wright in their Kimmel Gallery April 3 – 28, 2018, with a Poetry & Pickin’ music performance and gallery talk Monday, April 9, at 7 p.m. The Gallery doors will open at 6:30 p.m.  Music will be provided by Jeff and Mary Barker.
The Barada Hills are primarily located in Richardson County and refer to the bluffs along the Missouri River. The area has a unique and colorful history. The hills are named after the founder of the town of Barada, Antoine Barada, the son of a French count and an Omaha Indian princess. The exploits of Antoine Barada were mythic enough to be recorded by Mari Sandoz.
John Lokke is an artist, naturalist and amateur herpetologist. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, he received his BFA from University of Nebraska in Omaha. For the past 15 years, he has been working and teaching art in Wichita, Kansas, at City Arts Gallery. His art work has  shown previously at Weber Fine Arts Gallery, University of Nebraska Omaha, Cass County Historical Museum, Plattsmouth, Nebraska; Lydia Bruun Public Library, Falls City, Nebraska; Morton James Public Library, Nebraska City, Nebraska; University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Omaha History Center and Hardin Hall, University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Jan Wright moved to a farm north of Barada, Nebraska, from Houston, Texas, in 1997 and has been writing about the area ever since. After earning a BBA degree from the University of Houston, she took courses in creative writing there and at Rice University, St. Thomas University and Peru State College.  Several of her works have been published in the Plains Song Review (2000, 2002) put out annually by the University of Nebraska Press and Nebraska Presence: An Anthology of Poetry (2007).
The works on exhibit have recently been published in a book by the same name, The Barada Hills of Nebraska and will be available for sale at the April 9, 2018, evening event.