The historic Bonine House in Vandalia will be the sight of an art show and sale by world acclaimed portrait artist Paul Collins.

The art show and sale will be held Oct. 4-5 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Bonine House, located at the corner of M-60 and Penn Road. The show will feature a collection of Collins’ work from all aspects of his vast, storied career.

“After attending the fourth annual Underground Railroad Days (UGRR) in July, Paul was so taken with the story of the UGRR in Vandalia, he offered to do a show to benefit the work of the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC),” Cathy LaPointe said. “The mission of the URSCC is to tell the story, as well as to restore the home of Quaker abolitionist James E. Bonine and the Carriage House across the street, where fugitive slaves were sheltered on their journey to freedom on the Underground Railroad.”

The iconic “Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad” will be part of the show. Prints of this painting have outsold any other in history.

Michigan born of African American, Native American and European descent, Collins embodies the community of humanity, both in his life and his art. Lauded as one of the top 20 figurative painters in the country, his career spans over five decades.

His combination of technical mastery and emotional power embraces and unveils people of all ages, races and cultures.

He has traveled, lived and painted all over the world, creating stunning portraits that reflect customs and ways of life. His work has been exhibited and hung in some of the post prestigious museums and galleries around the world.

Collins designed the Martin Luther King Peace Prize Medal and the NASA Space Shuttle emblem and was the first African American to paint a sitting president (Gerald Ford), whose mural hangs in the Kent County Airport in Grand Rapids.

His “America At Work” collection hangs in the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids. Collins has been commissioned by corporations and organizations to create collections featuring “Great Beautiful Black Women,” “Special Olympics,” “A Native American Tableau,” “Voices of Israel,” “American Portrait of Japan,” “Who is Key West?,” “Mexican Inspirations” and “Great Kings of Africa” among others, which is a testament to the universal scope and appeal of his work.

More information about Collins and his art can be found at www.collinsart.org. More information about the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County can be found at www.urscc.org.

Call (269) 646-0401 for more information about this event.