GRAFTON, Ill. — Gene Smith served in the Marines during Vietnam.
He was born in Lee Summit and found his way to retirement in Grafton.
The 81-year-old always had a dream to open a gallery and give local artists a place to sell their work and honor those who've served our country.
That dream has come true at 301 E. Main Street.
Donna Smith, Gene’s wife and Grafton city alderwoman, said, “We built this gallery with a vision for expanding the art district and having a platform for building more businesses on Main Street in Grafton.”
After studying art history in college, Smith's heart was set.
"It's what I wanted to do for a long time. What we wanted to do because my wife has been with me for 58 years," he added.
The two moved to Grafton over a decade ago. The space at 301 E. Main Street became available in February.
Grafton is a river town with the largest percentage per capita of veterans of any city in Illinois with 17%. This gallery aims to support veteran artists or work dedicated in honoring Veterans.
That's why they believe this is a perfect fit. It's a space to share this vision and showcase diverse work of different branches.
Smith said, "It turns out we have so many talents, local here. We have art on the wall with an international background, they live locally, but we have artists from Belize, Peru, Philippines."
Smith told 5 On Your Side he's always been drawn to art.
"It doesn't need an interpreter, it speaks all languages. It's whatever you get out of it," he added.
The first exhibit is titled, Honor, and will run until the Fourth of July. Then the next exhibit will come in.
Some of the work includes drawings from Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow, who served in the military for more than 30 years.
The Retired Army Colonel even published his own book.
Murrow said he started to doodle when he was a little kid and he's continued ever since.
"When I was deployed to Kuwait for the Kuwait war, we didn't have cell phones, email or cameras, I took my sketch book and pen and papers. When I was doing my work, demolition work and I would take a break and sketch what was around me," he shared. "I was able to sit and think about what I was doing and seeing, there are a lot of horrible things you see in war but it gives you the opportunity to think through that, put it on paper. It was very therapeutic for me."
There will be a grand opening for the Grafton Art Gallery on May 25 from 10 am to 6 pm.
The ribbon cutting will take place at 10:30 a.m. and it will feature the Grafton Chamber, Riverbend Growth Association and Hispanic Chamber. It will include a color guard, the national anthem will be sung by Nicki Brooks, and a story will be told from Vietnam Veteran Jim Skaggs, as he talks about his friend Sgt. Gary McKiddy.
It will award prizes including:
- An Apple iPad
- Tickets to WWT Raceway NASCAR Cup Series
- Tickets to the Boat Cruises with Grafton Harbor
- Tickets to Raging Rivers
- Gift Certificates from 3rd Chute Bar & Grill
- Gift Certificates from the Loading Dock
- Gift Certificates from Honey Bee Vintage
- Signature Candles from Fancy Nancy
This also comes at a time as Grafton is working to create a memorial through the National Memorial of Military Ascent. It's a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to remembering Veterans’ service throughout history with a unique memorial in Grafton.
The memorial will be set against the limestone bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. The centerpiece will be a life-sized WWII reproduction of the U. S. Army Rangers climbing the Pointe Du Hoc cliffs on Omaha Beach as part of the initial D-Day landings.
Right now, it's in the fundraising phase. This $6 million memorial is projected to be completed on June 6, 2026. To learn more or donate, click here.
If any artists want to learn more or want to share their work with the gallery, contact Jackie Duty at 618-541-0923 or jacquelineduty@gmail.com
For more information for Grafton Art Gallery, visit here.