Last month, Fine Artist, Steve Alpert, unveiled his portrait of Ann Berry at The Alabama Department of Archives & History in Montgomery, Alabama. Here’s what he wrote about this experience:
On January 28th, I had the immense privilege of honoring the incomparable Ann Berry with a portrait unveiling at the Alabama Department of Archives & History in Montgomery, AL.
Along with Ann and her family, my wife Dorothy and I stayed at a hotel in downtown Montgomery. The structure was ancient by American standards and used to house slaves. Next door stood a white building with columns and a graceful porch—the very place where humans were auctioned off, sold like cattle or chickens, then sent by boat or train to other locations in Georgia and the upper South.
The night before the unveiling event, I was awakened by the long and lonely whistle of a freight train snaking its way into Montgomery and headed to the shores of the Alabama River. In my half sleep, it was like a train whistle from two hundred years ago, carrying with it echoes of our true and unspeakable past. The ghosts were there, all those men and women and children hopelessly cloaked in slavery who lived and slept in this building, in the very space where we were all slumbering. Chilling.
I could not get back to sleep, so I did a little research: the railroad was completed in 1832, built with slave labor. It struck me as ironic that the next morning I would be giving remarks about the portrait painting I had made of Ann, a daughter of Alabama who would be the first person of color to serve as Secretary of the United States Senate just two hundred years later.
At the ceremony, I spoke about my experience—the realization is both eye-opening and depressing, yet hopeful. We have come such a long way but still have a very long way to go to eradicate the prejudice and hatred that is clearly the scourge of humanity. It was a completely uplifting experience for all in that auditorium to recognize a very special person for her service to our nation and watch as the painting of her was unveiled. There were remarks from Ann and former Alabama Senator Doug Jones, as well as myself. It was the honor of a lifetime to be a part of that ceremony.
– Steve Alpert
ABOUT STEVE ALPERT
Steve Alpert is a native New Yorker and fine art painter whose work covers a wide range of subject matter including land/sea/skyscapes, military, abstract, and portraiture. Alpert best describes himself as a non-conformist who draws from many different moments in his life that have inspired and shaped his work. Painting is my reverie, my serenity, my never-ending pursuit of who I am.
However, it is Alpert’s Contemporary American Military paintings that are the foundation of his collection and what distinguishes him from many of his fellow artists.
Alpert’s work has been exhibited at the home of the President (Biden) and fine art galleries across the United States. His military work is part of the permanent collection of the Pentagon, the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico VA, the Naval War College at Newport RI, the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover AFB, Dover DE, and the Institute of World Politics in Washington DC. Through generous donations of his artwork, Alpert has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for causes that support the men and women of our United States Armed Forces and their families including Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation and Fisher Houses. Most recently he was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Distinguished Citizen Award.
Alpert has authored two books, Worth Fighting For, The Path of a Patriot and Proudly She Served, Celebrating Women in Uniform and he is currently working on a third book. He is also an adjunct professor of art at Fordham University, where he offers art workshops to veterans.
For more information, visit his website, Steve Alpert Art.
photograph of Steve Alpert by Maria Reeves Hayes
