From September 13, 2024 to March 14, 2025, the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky hosts a new exhibit you won’t want to miss. Based on the upcoming, comprehensive biography, Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard, this exhibition brings to life the story of a man who, though beloved by his fellow Kentuckians, deserves broad recognition in the disciplines of American landscape painting, writing, and environmental advocacy.
Jessica K. Whitehead has served the Kentuckiana community for over a decade, moving to the Louisville area in 2011 after graduating with a BA in Art History and English from Hanover College. As Curator of Collections at the Kentucky Derby Museum, she works closely with the rest of the Curatorial and Education departments to promote a rich and diverse understanding of the Kentucky Derby and what it has meant—and means—to the Commonwealth and the country through exhibits and collections-based programming.
In addition to her work at the Museum, she is an independent writer, artist, and curator, specializing in themes related to Ohio River Valley history, the natural world, and the arts. She has written the introduction to the recently published The Watercolors of Harlan Hubbard: From the Collection of Bill and Flo Caddell (University Press of Kentucky, 2021) and her first full book, Driftwood: Harlan Hubbard in the American Grain, is under contract with University Press of Kentucky, to appear in February 2025.