"Warrior Artists in a Tourist Town" with Judith Wilmot

Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine welcomes writer Judith Wilmot to discuss ledger art created by Plains Indians imprisoned at the Castillo de San Marcos (then called Fort Marion) in the late nineteenth century.

Ledger art helped Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche, and Caddo warriors imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida, survive – and even thrive. Ms. Wilmot will describe how and why a demoralized group of more than 70 Native American warriors were marched in leg irons through St. Augustine to Fort Marion when they arrived here from Oklahoma, and why the ledger art created here has been described as “unique in originality of concept” and “composed of sure, even outlines of forms filled with colors and textures” by various art historians.

This program is free and open to the public and will take place at The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave., which shares a parking lot with the Main Library. Seating begins at 12:00 pm, and the presentation starts promptly at 1:00 pm. No reservations are required. For more information, please call the Main Library at 904-827-6940.

As a full-time writer in New York, Judith Wilmot reviewed movies and interviewed comedians such as the late John Candy, as well as philanthropists, writers, and people in the Punk music scene. She is a member of the St. Augustine Historical Society and has presented programs for the Florida Historical Society, the University of North Florida, and a local Civil War group, with presentations such as “Warriors & the Civil War,” “Grant and the Contrabands,” and “General Grenville Dodge.” Wilmot’s “Warrior Artists in a Tourist Town” appeared in Cowboys & Indians Magazine. She is a regular contributor to the magazine, where she interviews and writes about Native American artists, and is also a regular contributor to American Civil War Magazine.

The Waterworks is available through the generosity of the City of St. Augustine and the St. Johns Cultural Council.