City Hall Exhibit Looks at Rhode Island in the Civil War

Rhode Island in the Civil War: Myth, Memory, and (Mis)Information

Opening Reception May 3, 2012, 5-7 p.m.

City of Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism invite you to visit the Gallery at City Hall for "Rhode Island in the Civil War: Myth, Memory, and (Mis)Information," an exhibit curated by Brown University students. The exhibit will be on display beginnnig April 28 with a public opening reception on May 3, 5 - 7pm.

To commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the exhibit examines the complex history and legacy of Rhode Island's involvement, using objects and documents from local archives and libraries including Providence's City Archives, the Special Collections at the Providence Public Library, the John Hay Library, Rhode Island Historical Society and the Rhode Island State Archives. The exhibit compellingly explores the narrative of the Rhode Island home front during the war through reproductions of items such as broadsides, telegrams, photographs, letters, and newspaper articles.

A period-uniformed brass band playing music of the Civil War will kick off the opening reception at 5pm on the steps of City Hall followed by a uniformed color guard comprised of teenage Civil War reenactors from the Met School. The students represent the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored), an African American artillery unit that served the Union forces during the war. They will march into City Hall and present regimental flags to commence brief remarks. Speakers include executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Commission, Keith Stokes; Brown University Professor Anne Valk, whose students researched, planned, and installed the exhibit; and several area historians including City Archivist Paul Campbell. The opening is free and open to the public with children's activities taking place on the 2nd floor.

Visit www.providenceri.com/ArtCultureTourism for more information about the Gallery at City Hall and the current exhibit.