MEMORIES OF AN ERA, REFLECTIONS OF OUR TIME ARTIST'S STATEMENT Jeanine Hill-Soldner’s artist statement will give you information on what inspired her to do these paintings, assemble this exhibit, and some overall themes and ideas that you can look forward to exploring with your students during your visit. Jeanine’s work lends itself especially well to math, science and philosophy as well as to the humanities, particularly the relationships between time, space, and distance. Jeanine Hill-Soldner’s artist statement “Memories of an Era, Reflections of Our Time” is a labor of love. I have made a commitment in my art that it should move beyond the marketplace and reach deeper into the complexities of human experiences. I have also made a commitment to delve deeper into the stories we tell, and the memories we cherish or fear. We are who we are because of our memories. Each one of us shares a collective memory that is developed in context with the society we share with others. But it is our personal memories that make us who we are. I believe we dream through our individual memories and in many ways live out our lives in accordance with our previous experiences. The paintings in this exhibit were developed from family snapshots and photos that were taken during my Dad’s first tour of duty during the Vietnam War. I began this work in early 2000 because I wanted to establish a narrative. I felt I had something to say and a story that needed telling. The orange skies represent Agent Orange, a dioxin based herbicide that as liberally sprayed in Vietnam from 1961-1970. The men in the paintings and photos are members of the Bravo Company 3rd Recon Battalion, United States Marine Corps. These were part of the first ground troops to enter Vietnam in 1965. My Dad returned to Vietnam in 1968-1969. This exhibit is for my Dad, all of those who have gone to war, those who have not returned, and their families.		TEACHER PACKET CONTENTS Artist's Statement Lesson Plans Activities Additional Information Works Cited