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ABOUT THIS EVENT

FREE

October 25th, 12:00 - 1:00pm CST

Scholar Scott Nelson

Scott Nelson is a small farmer/rancher living on the homestead settled by his Swedish grandparents in 1908.  He lives south of Mandan, ND, just north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.  Scott is an artist specializing in western and historical paintings.  He interviewed WWII aviators in the late 90s and into the 2000s and many of these stories became paintings that are signed by the aviators. The paintings were donated to the Dakota Territory Air Museum and can be viewed there.  Scott has authored numerous Dakota Datebooks for Prairie Public Radio over the years and writes a column in the ND Water Magazine caller “The Timmer Chronicles.” Scott is a self-taught artist, learning to draw as soon as he could hold a pencil. He works with pen and ink, water color, acrylic wash, and oils. His subjects are mostly western, contemporary and historical. Scott has illustrated several books and has been published in a number of magazines. He has contributed artwork to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame Chronicle.

North Dakota Aviators in World War II

Several years ago, out of a deep respect for the World War Two Generation and a lifelong interest in WWII aircraft, Scott started interviewing veteran aviators and illustrating their stories on canvas. Scott has completed 13 large oil paintings and a number of smaller water colors. The paintings are all based on real events occurring during the war. The veterans inspect the finished painting and suggest if there needs to be any changes. When the painting met their satisfaction, they signed the painting to authenticate it. These paintings have been donated to the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot ND, where they can be seen on display. www.dakotaterritoryairmuseum.com

For the past several years, several of these original paintings were on display in conjunction with the North Dakota WWII Exhibit at the Heritage Center, ND Capitol Grounds, Bismarck ND.

Moderator Jeff Hoffer 

Jeff Hoffer is a retired military officer and veteran of both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army. He is the former historian at Ft. A. Lincoln State Park and the former command historian of the N.D. National Guard. Jeff's passion is 19th century U.S. military history, particularly that of the Civil War and the military frontier.

HND VALUE STATEMENT

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this {article, book, exhibition, film, program, database, report, Web resource}, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or Humanities North Dakota.

However, in an increasingly polarized world, we at Humanities North Dakota believe that being open-minded is necessary to thinking critically and rationally.

Therefore, our programs and classes reflect our own open-mindedness in the inquiry, seeking, and acquiring of scholars to speak at our events and teach classes for our Public University.

To that end, we encourage our participants to join us in stepping outside our comfort zones and considering other perspectives and ideas by being open-minded while attending HND events featuring scholars who hold a variety of opinions, some being opposite of our own held beliefs.

Humanities North Dakota classes and events are funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities