Charleston Resident Receives
National DAR Award
“A moving and important tribute to our nation’s greatest patriots.”
Medal of Honor recipient, Major General James E. Livingston
Artist Mary Whyte has received the National Daughters of the American Revolution’s highest honors.
Charleston, SC, (November 2020) – Charleston artist Mary Whyte has been awarded two national honors. Recognizing her contributions to our nation’s veterans through her We the People: Portraits of Veterans in America Exhibition and the formation of the Patriot Art Foundation, the Eliza Lucas Pinckney Chapter, NSDAR presented artist Mary Whyte with the NSDAR Women in the Arts Award and the prestigious DAR Medal of Honor.
The DAR Medal of Honor is the most prestigious award given by the organization. The recipient must have made unusual and lasting contributions to our American Heritage by selfless giving to their community, state, country and fellowman. Former recipients include Barbara Bush, and Tom Brokaw.
The Women in the Arts Award was created to recognize women who have exhibited excellence in their chosen field beyond mastery of technique. Innovative design work, featured exhibitions, publication, research, and technique development are major components of the strict criteria for this prestigious award.
From the Eliza Lucas Pinckney Chapter, NSDAR: “Mary Whyte’s innate ability to connect with her subjects on an intimate level in order to tell the personal stories of her subjects through her painting exemplifies her true character of trustworthiness and integrity. She exhibits a passionate sense of patriotism in her desire to honor those who have served our country.”
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. DAR members are committed to volunteer service having served more than 12.5 million hours in communities throughout the world during the past three years.
“When I undertook this project to paint the face of America, what began as an exercise to create fifty portraits turned into an all-consuming mission to uphold and honor the hidden heroes of our country,” says Whyte. “We the People is not only a tour across and through these vast United States, it is a tour through the heart and soul, the duty and the commitment of the people who protect not only our Constitution and our country but our very lives. We can only be deeply grateful, inspired, and humbled by all of them, and it’s my hope that this exhibition will give rise to a greater sense of gratitude for our military, as well as to inspire people to reach for what is possible.”
About Mary Whyte
Mary Whyte (b. 1953) is an American figurative artist known internationally for her watercolors of contemporary people. Her works are in private, corporate, university and public collections nationwide, and have been featured in numerous media outlets including CBS Sunday Morning, PBS and NPR. In 2013, Whyte was one of ten artists worldwide invited to travel to China and exhibit her watercolors at the Nanning Art Museum in Nanning, Guangxi.
The author of seven books including We the People: Portraits of Veterans in America, Whyte’s work has also been featured in many international publications, including periodicals and books in China, Russia, France, Germany, Canada and Taiwan. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Portrait Society of America's Gold Medal, the Carolinas Freedom Foundation’s Freedom Award, and the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts, South Carolina’s highest honor in the arts. In 2019 Whyte founded the Patriot Art Foundation as a means to honor and inspire veterans through the arts.
About the Patriot Art Foundation
The mission of the Patriot Art Foundation is to seek a better world for our veterans through initiatives in art, history, education, leadership and imagination. The Foundation is organizing a working board of veterans, military leaders, business leaders, educators and artists. Partner organizations currently include The Citadel, the University of South Carolina Press and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
The Patriot Art Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) whose mission is to honor and serve veterans through art and educational initiatives.
# # #
For More Information:
Sharon Crawford
Agent/Manager
Mary Whyte, LLC
(843) 870-0430
