Events Calendar
August 15 - March 21
In 1892, Walt Whitman reflected on the American Civil War, writing in Specimen Days, that "The real war will never get in the books." Whitman recognized that the history books would never truly capture the experiences of the men and women who lived through the war, as well as those who died in battle. This special exhibition will tell the story of the Civil War visually, using examples of trench art, made by soldiers from items such as bullets, decorative arts made by women to support the war cause, as well as letters and other items that offer glimpses into the daily lives of the people who experienced this dark period in American history. Photographs by Mathew Brady (1822-1896), namely "Burnside Bridge After the Battle of Antietam" and "President Lincoln at Antietam," from the Permanent Collection will highlight the significance of Washington County during the war. Also, part of the exhibition will be the "Portrait of Captain George Luther Hager" by Alexander Lawrie (1828-1917). Hager was a descendant of the family who founded Hagerstown and served in the 31st Indiana Infantry during the Civil War. As the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War approaches and this region commemorates John Brown's raid in 1859, this is a particularly important exhibit bringing together items from the Museum's Permanent Collection as well as pieces on loan from private collectors.
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Hagerstown City Park
Hagerstown, MD
(301) 739-5727
Website
January 16 - September 19
"Circuit of the Summer Hills: Mourning the Losses of the Civil War" - In his newspaper column, "A Bivouac of the Dead," Ambrose Bierce, who fought in the Civil War, conjures images of the extreme human losses during the conflict when he writes, "Give them, these blameless gentlemen, their rightful part in all the pomp that fills the circuit of the summer hills." This exhibition will reflect on how artists portrayed the war, both outright, as in portraits, as well as in the use of subtle iconography, such as the sunset over the "summer hills." Many of the paintings were produced shortly after the end of the war and can be read as responses to the atrocities of the Civil War and a desire to create a unified American identity to move the country forward while still mourning the loss of so many lives. Works of art such as "The Portrait of James Dixon Roman," by an unknown artist and "Mountain Gap," painted in 1875 by Adalbert Johann Volck (1828-1912), shown above, will be featured. This exhibition is co-curated by Dr. Elizabeth Johns and Assistant Curator, Jennifer Smith and is sponsored in part by Rest Haven Cemetery and Funeral Home.
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Hagerstown City Park
Hagerstown, MD 21741
(301) 739-5727
Website