An Affair with Abraham Lincoln

From October 14 to January 8, Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport will present “My Affair with Abraham Lincoln,” an exhibition of Lincoln portraits by artist Roz Dimon.

Dimon, who lives on Shelter Island, describes the series as having “erupted as a spontaneous response to events in the United States between November 2020 and February 2021; a political climate that one could argue is still ongoing.”

The Lincoln portraits are insightful reflections of these fraught times and generators of crucial social, political, and cultural discourse. Moreover, as Dimon notes, “it’s interesting that everyone claims Lincoln.”

Drawn in a variety of media on rag paper and framed in black, these works are inspired by Alexander Gardner’s iconic 1863 Lincoln photograph, a copy of which is included in the exhibition.

Dimon describes how, on seeing this photo, she “fell in love with a face full of vision, suffering, steadfastness … a face offering multiple interpretations simultaneously … one that looked almost like a Civil War battlefield itself. That was the beginning of my Lincoln series.”

Each portrait features a title particular to the day it was drawn and includes varying abstract interpretations of Abe’s classic bow tie. The original 19 drawings previewed in summer 2021 at Shelter Island Public Library’s Tent Week, where they inspired terrific public debate.

Five more works have since been added to the series. Four of these use QR code interaction to invite the viewer into an animated experience of a Lincoln portrait being drawn, one mark at a time. In Dimon’s words, this “inclusion of digital media brings the man to our age, and our age to the man in a way that speaks distinctly to this time.”

A final portrait was created this past summer of Mary Todd Lincoln. A salute to her and to women everywhere whose work and endurance often goes unrecognized, it is titled “I Had No One.”

In line with the exhibition’s spirit of civil discourse, Floyd Memorial Library will host a number of free public events in conjunction with “My Affair with Abraham Lincoln.” This includes an opening reception with the artist on Friday, October 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. On Friday, October 28, at 6 p.m. Margaret Hoover, host of PBS’s “Firing Line,” will interview John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst and author of this year’s “Lincoln and the Fight for Peace.” Other events, including for younger members of the community, are to be announced. “I’m very excited to have this series travel to Floyd Memorial Library and I look forward to engaging further with those who attend the exhibition and its related events,” said Dimon.

For more information, visit floydmemoriallibrary.org or call 631-477-0660.