AP — NEW PAINTING OF LINCOLN’S LIFE UNVEILED AT INDIANA STATEHOUSE

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INDIANAPOLIS, IND. (AP) — A new painting depicting Abraham Lincoln’s life is hanging in the Indiana Statehouse, and some hope it will become part of a national celebration marking his 1809 birth.

The painting by artist Thomas Kennedy is a montage that shows scenes from Lincoln’s life and is aimed at helping students understand the 16th president. Kennedy, who lives in Spencer County, has been studying Lincoln as he worked on the painting for about two years.

“I’ve been reading and working, reading and working,’’ Kennedy said.

Suellen Reed, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, is displaying the painting in her office.

“We want to show students that you can tell a story in spoken words, written words or through art,’’ Reed said.

The Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission could consider making the painting an official part of its bicentennial celebration.

State leaders will also ask the national bicentennial commission to adopt the work as an official part of its celebration, said Chris Middleton, an economic development official in Spencer County, where Lincoln spent time as a boy.

“We hope it will not only receive the nod as the Indiana bicentennial painting, but also the national bicentennial painting,’’ she said. “We think this will go along way in establishing Indiana’s rightful place as Lincoln’s boyhood home.’’