Celebrating Jim Steg's Centennial Year

2022 marks the centennial of Jim Steg's birth on February 6, 1922 in Alexandria, Virginia. We're planning events throughout the year to celebrate his work and legacy. Festivities begin at Studio Waveland + Gallery in February, and conclude with an exhibition of Jim’s late-career Polaroids during PhotoNOLA in December. Additional events will be announced as details solidify. Partners in Print will open on Friday, February 11, with birthday cake in Jim’s honor. Please join us to celebrate the life and lasting impact of New Orleans’ most influential printmaker.

Jim Steg - Bacchanalian Group, after Mantegna, 1948

For fun and inspiration, we invite you to follow Jim’s new Instagram account: @jim.steg

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Congressional Gold Medal!

It’s official! On February 1st, President Joe Biden signed the bill into law that awards the Congressional Gold Medal to the soldiers of WWII's secret Ghost Army unit. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest distinction Congress can bestow, signifying national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions.

Our sincere gratitude goes to historian Rick Beyer and the Ghost Army Legacy Project for their seven year campaign to honor the soldiers of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133 Signal Company Special. The unit, comprised of artists, used costumes, decoys, phony radio transmissions, and other forms of deception to outfox the enemy. The existence of the Ghost Army was top secret for more than 50 years until the information was declassified in 1996.

Jim Steg - Job (Ghost Army Tank), 1992

You can learn more about Jim’s service in the Ghost Army here, and view a selection of watercolors and sketches he created during the second World War. It is evident that the experience had a lasting impact on both his life and his art.

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Upcoming Exhibition →

Partners in Print: Frances Swigart and Jim Steg

Opening reception
Friday, February 11, 2022, 5-8pm

Studio Waveland + Gallery is pleased to present a two-person exhibition celebrating the artistic and life collaboration of Frances Swigart Steg and the late James L. Steg. The exhibition will feature etchings and relief prints by the two master printers.

Frances and Jim met in 1962, as teacher and student, and married in 1992 as empty nesters who were able to fully dedicate themselves to art making. They embraced the same medium – etching – but explored divergent imagery. His: experimental, challenging. Hers: in the French Impressionists' tradition, classical.

2022 marks the centennial of Mr. Steg's birth, on February 6, 1922, as well as Frances’s 80th trip around the sun. This joint exhibition, after years of collaboration, will include a career-spanning selection of works on paper by each artist. Please join us to celebrate the prolific creative legacy of Frances Swigart and Jim Steg, partners in life and in art.

Artist Talk with Frances Swigart
Saturday, February 12, 12:30pm

Closing Reception
Saturday, March 5

On view February 11 - March 5, 2022

Studio Waveland + Gallery
228 Coleman Ave
Waveland, MS 39576
Open Saturdays 12-4, and by appt

Studio Waveland + Gallery hosts exhibitions, artist’s lectures, art demonstrations, classes, and the metal & glass studios of sculptors Erica Larkin Gaudet & Mitchell Gaudet. The 2000 square foot gallery is located on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, building upon the location’s long history as a vacation spot and artist retreat. Studio Waveland opened in 2018 and has hosted major art events over the past three years, drawing people from across the region.

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Senate Passes Gold Medal Bill for Ghost Army

We were so pleased to learn that last night, the United States Senate passed S.1404, the Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act. Because their mission was kept secret for so long, the men who served in the Ghost Army did not receive proper recognition for their contributions to the Allied Powers during WWII — until now.

Due to language changes made by the Senate, the bill has to be sent back to the House of Representatives one more time, where it is expected to pass in early 2022 before arriving at the President’s desk.

This award would not be possible without the effort of the Ghost Army Legacy Project who tirelessly lobbied for the passage of this bill.

A well-deserved honor for all who served in the Ghost Army, and a perfect gift for our beloved Jim Steg’s 100th birthday.

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Ghost Army Soldier Memorialized in New York Times

The New York Times recently published an article on the passing of Gilbert Seltzer; at the time of his death, Gilbert was the oldest surviving member of the Ghost Army. The insightful article goes into detail not only about Gilbert’s life and accomplishments, but also the oft-overlooked history of the Ghost Army.

Read the article: Richard Sandomir, The New York Times, Sept. 11, 2021

In an image from the 2013 PBS documentary “Ghost Army,” a soldier stands next to an inflatable rubber Sherman tank. It took about 30 minutes to inflate a single tank.

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Wonderful Night at the National WWII Museum for Ghost Army Exhibition Opening

Our sincerest thanks to everyone who came out to the opening of the Ghost Army exhibition! The turnout was inspiring: hundreds of people, including several Ghost Army veterans and their families, were there to hear the lectures by author and Ghost Army Legacy Project President Rick Beyer and Museum Curator James Linn. We were honored that five of Jim Steg’s watercolor illustrations, made during his time with the Ghost Army, were included in the exhibition. And finally, a big round of applause for The National WWII Museum for putting this show together, so that the bravery and ingenuity of the soldiers of the Ghost Army can live on! 

To learn more about the exhibition, please click here.

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