Making a Mark: Hannibal’s Creatives – Hannibal at the Door

On March 7th at 2pm we will be kicking off our new series Making a Mark. These events will help highlight our local community and show that Twain’s creative spirit is still alive and well in Hannibal today. First in our series will be Richard & Patricia Garey. They originally moved to Hannibal in 2003 and opened The Planter’s Barn Theater to host Richard’s one man show Mark Twain Himself. In 2017, Patricia opened The Mississippi River Gallery which was both a gallery space for her award-winning watercolor paintings and a frame shop. Now mostly retired, they are both free to pursue their creative interests, which are many!

In 2016 the couple embarked on a project to restore the historic Robard’s Mansion on 6th Street. The history of the building its original occupants inspired Richard to write a series of poems. Patricia, inspired by the poetry, painted eleven original watercolors of various characters from the poems. This became the book Hannibal at the Door, an illustrated poetry collection deeply connected to the town that inspired it.

The original paintings from Hannibal at the Door will be on display in the Museum Gallery Auditorium for the month of March. On the 7th at 2pm both Richard & Patricia will provide some readings from the book, talk about their processes, and discuss what about this town continues to inspire them. This event is free to the public and the book will be available for purchase at the Museum Gallery Gift Shop.