The Speed Art Museum Announces the Declaration of Independence: The Stone Copy and the Kent Bicentennial Portfolio
May 26 through July 15, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky, The Speed Art Museum beginning Memorial Day weekend, visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to see a rare 1823 engraved facsimile of the Declaration of Independence, thanks to the generosity of Mayor Greg Fischer and the City of Louisville. The document was donated to Jefferson County in 1986 by William P. Mulloy & Sons.
Speed Director, Dr. Charles L. Venable, remarked, “We at the Museum are very excited to be able to exhibition this rare and important document along with a series of artworks crated to celebrate the American Bicentennial in 1976. By placing the Declaration of Independence among contemporary art I hope visitors will think about the founding of our country and how documents like this are still the bedrock of our nation.”
The Declaration of Independence is a national icon. Drafted by a young Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the text eloquently and succinctly outlined the colonies’ grievances with the British crown and declared our nation’s independence. Following ratification of the Declaration, Congress ordered an “engrossed” or final version of the document be produced on vellum and signed by all its members, which is now housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C.
Museum hours are Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Friday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (open late); Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Galleries are closed on Monday and Tuesday.
General admission to the Museum is $10, free for members.
