From the 1930s to the early 1940s, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, was host to one of the most significant art colonies of its time. An American Art Colony: The Art and Artists of Ste. Genevieve is a historical and pictorial journey through the works of these magnificent painters. Their chosen subjects are not of the traditional bucolic landscape; instead they portray the human condition in terms both of political upheaval and of Depression-era events. Collectively, the authors present, through a series of biographical essays, an analysis of these painters’ lives, their art, and the world in which they lived. The artists are Thomas Hart Benton, Sister Cassiana Marie, Fred E. Conway, Joseph James Jones, Miriam McKinnie, Joseph John Paul Meert, Bernard Peters, Jesse Beard Rickly, Aimee Goldstone Schweig, Martyl Schweig, E. Oscar Thalinger, Joseph Paul Vorst, and Matthew E. Ziegler. 

            A graduate of Indiana University, Scott Kerr has been professionally engaged in the art world for more than twenty years. As the President of McCaughen & Burr Fine Arts, Kerr is involved in the daily valuation and acquisition of paintings. His gallery specializes in both American and European art with an emphasis on American regional art of the l930s through the l950s. He is actively involved with his community and has been recognized for his leadership in urban renewal, his work with youth, and his support of community programs. Scott lives in Webster Groves, Missouri, with his wife and three children.

            R. H. Dick is a native of Missouri. Born in Kansas City, he holds a B.S. in education and an M.A. in American history from the University of Central Missouri. Graduate work was completed in French history and economics at the University of Missouri–Columbia. He has done additional work at Harvard, Yale, Columbia (New York), and the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. As an artist he has been the recipient of numerous awards and has had several successful one-man exhibitions. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.