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<p><strong>From staff reports</strong></p>
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<p>Internationally renowned American figurative artist Mary Whyte will sign copies of her new book We the People: Portraits of Veterans in America from 4 to 6 p.m., Friday, July 29, at Nevermore Books in Beaufort.</p>
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<p>We the People features 50 watercolor portraits of military veterans: one from each state, and from all branches of the military and all walks of life. We the People was the subject of a CBS “Sunday Morning” piece, and the traveling exhibition of large-scale paintings is currently on display at the Huntsville Museum of Art in Alabama.</p>
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<p>Medal of Honor recipient, Major General James E. Livingston, USMC (ret.), said, "Mary Whyte's We the People is a moving and important tribute to our nation's greatest patriots — the men and women who served our country with courage, selflessness, and honor."</p>
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<p>We the people — these words embody the ethos of what it means to be an American citizen. As individuals we are a tapestry of colors and creeds; united we are a nation committed to preserving our hard-earned freedom.</p>
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<p>In We the People, Whyte captures this ethos as well as the dedication, responsibility, and courage it takes to fulfill that promise.</p>
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<p>We the People is not only a tour across and through these vast United States, it is a tour through the heart and soul, the duty and the commitment of the people who protect not only our Constitution and our country but our very lives. We can only be deeply grateful, inspired, and humbled by all of them.</p>
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<p>Whyte’s works are in private, corporate, university and public collections nationwide, and have been featured in numerous media outlets including CBS “Sunday Morning,” SCETV’s “Palmetto Scene,” and NPR. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Portrait Society of America's Gold Medal, the Carolinas Freedom Foundation’s Freedom Award, the National DAR Medal of Honor, the NSDAR Women in the Arts Award, and the South Carolina Governor's Award for the Arts (South Carolina’s highest honor in the arts).</p>
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<p>In 2019, Whyte founded the Patriot Art Foundation as a means to honor and inspire veterans through the arts. Whyte is the author of seven books including Down Bohicket Road and Working South. For more information, visit MaryWhyte.com.</p>
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