Omaha's Renaissance Man: Robert F. Gilder

Please be our guest for Art History with Jeffrey Spencer, a monthly lecture series discussing Nebraskan artists and Omaha's connections in the art world.

Where: Carriage House at Joslyn Castle & Gardens (3902 Davenport Street, Omaha, NE 68131)

When: Thursday, August 28 from 6pm-7pm (doors open at 5:30pm)

What: A FREE all ages event.

About the speaker:Jeffrey Spencer has long been associated with numerous historical and community organizations in the greater Omaha area. A graduate of the University of Nebraska, he has lectured and written extensively on many aspects of local history. He has served as a Trustee of the Nebraska State Historical Society, President of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Historical Association, Executive Director of the Historic General Dodge House Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Director of the Library/Archives Center of the Douglas County Historical Society and as Executive Director of Landmarks, Incorporated (an organization involved with neighborhood redevelopment and historic preservation in Omaha. Currently, he is associated with Preserve Omaha, a local historic preservation group and is a member of their Board of Directors.

About the Artist:

Gilder began studying art in New York with August Will and after arriving in Omaha in 1887 he became a student of J. Laurie Wallace. Gilder’s early career was as a journeyman printer for several Omaha newspapers but after his retirement in 1919 he devoted his full attention to his avocations of painting and archaeology. In 1906 he discovered “Loess Man”, considered at the time to be the earliest remains of the inhabitants of America. He later served as chief archaeologist of the University of Nebraska Museum for 12 years.

He made many trips to the Southwest both for archaeological work and for inspiration for his paintings. However, his beloved Nebraska was always his primary source of subject matter. In 1916, Gilder built a studio-home called “Wake Robin” in a wooded spot in Bellevue. He used this as a primary residence until his death and the house appears in many of Gilder’s paintings as well as those of his friend, Augustus Dunbier.

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