HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2016-04-20 Civil War to Civil Right photography exhibit
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Betsy Arnett, Public Information Officer
barnett@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2734
“A Journey from Civil War to Civil Rights” Exhibit of
Photographs by Kenneth Garrett Now on Display at Leesburg
Town Hall
Exhibit sponsor Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership will host an
opening reception on Friday, May 6, 2016, from 6:00-8:00pm.
Leesburg, VA (April 20, 2016) – A
photography exhibition on display at the
Leesburg Town Hall focuses on the theme
of Civil War to Civil Rights. Curated by the
nonprofit Journey Through Hallowed
Ground Partnership, the exhibit features
images taken by National Geographic
photographer Kenneth Garrett.
Entitled “A Journey from Civil War to Civil
Rights, ” the exhibit explores sites within
the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Herit age Area that help interpret the arc of
citizenship for African Americans in this country. From Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in
Charlottesville to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, this 180-mile swath of land contains 400 years of
history, including Native American and African American sites, nine presidential sites, 13
national parks, the largest concentration of Civil War battlefields in the country, and so much
more.
The foundation for the exhibition comes from the book Honoring Their Paths: African American
Contributions Along the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, published by the organization in
2009. This exhibition debuted in the fall at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in collaboration with the Washington National Opera’s world premiere of a newly revised
version of the opera Appomattox by acclaimed contemporary composer Philip Glass and the
Academy Award-winning writer Christopher Hampton.
Garrett’s images appeared in the book, Journey Through Hallowed Ground: Birthplace of the
American Ideal, which was published by National Geographic. He is an independent
photographer specializing in archaeology, paleontology, and ancient cultures and has
photographed archaeological subjects worldwide for National Geographic. Other magazine
credits include Smithsonian, Air and Space, Archaeology, Fortune, Forbes, Time, Life, Audubon,
and others. He has published his work in many books, including Egypt of the Pharaohs, Hidden
Treasures of Ancient Egypt, Curse of the Pharaohs, The Human Side of Tutankhamun and The
Golden Age of the Pharaohs. He has exhibited his work at the Smithsonian Museum and the
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, among other places. His
corporate clients include IBM, Marriott Corporation, UNC Aviation, and Starbucks.
“We are delighted to partner with the Town of Leesburg to show this exhibit. Once it wrapped
up at the Kennedy Center, we were hoping to find places within our National Heritage Area to
display it as well. This is the first, but hopefully not the last,” said Shuan Butcher, spokesperson
for the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership.
The exhibit ends on May 31, 2016. An opening reception will take place the evening of Friday,
May 6, 2016, from 6:00 to 8:00pm to coincide with Leesburg’s First Friday celebration of the
arts. For more information, call 540-882-4929 or visit www.HallowedGround.org.
About the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership: The JTHG Partnership is a non-profit
organization dedicated to raising awareness of the unparalleled historic, natural, and cultural
landscape within the swath of land from Monticello to Gettysburg. JTHG has successfully
created the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area and has had the Old
Carolina Road (Rt. 15/20/231) from Gettysburg, through Maryland, to Monticello d esignated a
National Scenic Byway. For more information, go to: www.HallowedGround.org.
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