The word “legacy” can be complicated, layered with meaning and often inflated with subjective sensation or persuasive pathos. Sometimes, however, the term is too small to capture the true, lasting impact a person makes on the world around them.
When describing what Kevin H. Adams left behind when he unexpectedly passed away in 2023, “legacy” will only begin to capture the broad and intricate strokes he painted through the art world, the local community, and the lives of countless individuals.
Thanks to many mentors and supporters, Kevin was able to spend much of his life creating art. While his professional experiences ranged from documenting military exercises to designing opera sets, his first love was always nature and landscape paintings.
In 2017, Kevin spent three weeks living fully immersed in the “color-rhythms” of Shenandoah as an Artist-in-Residence, just 11 miles from his home in Rappahannock County. He invited visitors to paint with him, describing the time as “a richer experience than [he] could have hoped.” He later said, “I hope that the work that I produce will help others recognize the value of preserving our National Parks for future generations.”
Kevin’s husband, Jay Ward Brown, has established the Kevin H. Adams Memorial Endowment to honor this hope and to continue Kevin’s legacy of passing on to other artists the same mentorship and support that he was given. This endowment in his memory will support Trust programs that “encourage, educate or otherwise promote artists interested in Shenandoah National Park and its surroundings as the subject of their artwork.” The Fund will have an emphasis on the visual arts, though it will include all types of artistic practice, and will continue to nurture the artists of tomorrow.
Kevin paints the view from an overlook in Shenandoah.
“I hope it will have a meaningful impact for generations of artists in this area who are interested in portraying our American landscape, and in particular the landscapes of Virginia and this park, which was so important to Kevin and his artistic vision,” Jay said of his gift. “I want future beneficiaries of the funding to be able to learn who Kevin was and take a little inspiration from his words and from his paintings… and hopefully also draw from that the importance of ‘paying it forward,’ as Kevin always put it, so that as they become established, they remember to mentor the people who follow them.”
This ongoing generosity and support – one artist sharing his gifts with those around him and inspiring others to share their gifts in kind – is the remarkable legacy of Kevin H. Adams.
Giving Back
Before he passed, Kevin established an ongoing way to support Shenandoah. With every purchase of his “Old Rag and the Piedmont” print from the Gay Street Gallery in Washington, VA, they donate 50% of the profits to the Trust to support conservation and education in the park!
Old Rag and the Piedmont – painted by Kevin H. Adams during his residency in Shenandoah National Park.