KU News Release

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas Dean of Libraries Lorraine J. Haricombe will host a public event from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. The event will feature a keynote address by KU librarian Susan Craig, author of “The Biographical Dictionary of Kansas Artists (Active before 1945),” a unique biographical resource featuring 1,700 Kansas artists.

Craig will provide an overview of her work, which has received international acclaim. Published as an electronic book in KU ScholarWorks, a digital repository for scholarly work created by KU faculty and staff, the dictionary provides a searchable archive and makes it possible for researchers to locate an artist by name, town or subject.

“I had studied art history, I was an art librarian, but I couldn’t find much — if any — information on Kansas artists,” said Craig, who joined KU Libraries in 1970 and is the head of the Murphy Art and Architecture Library.

The dictionary contains listings for artists from throughout Kansas. A few hometowns include El Dorado, Newton, Peabody, Howard, Manhattan, Wichita, Ottawa and Topeka.

The event begins with the address at 6:30 p.m. A dessert reception will follow at 7:30. RSVP to Courtney Foat at (785) 864-0970 or cfoat@ku.edu.