Elyse Poinsett here, the
official stand for the Special Events and Marketing hats at the
Rosenbach. Most of you probably know me best as the voice behind our
e-newsletter (sign up here!), facebook page, and Twitter feed. I think our latest exhibition is just terrific, so I stole the posting duties from Kathy for a week to tell you all about it.
official stand for the Special Events and Marketing hats at the
Rosenbach. Most of you probably know me best as the voice behind our
e-newsletter (sign up here!), facebook page, and Twitter feed. I think our latest exhibition is just terrific, so I stole the posting duties from Kathy for a week to tell you all about it.
Almost a week ago, we opened our
latest exhibition, “War Stories.” Created in collaboration between staff at the
Rosenbach and five student veterans living in the Philadelphia area, this
exhibition places today’s stories alongside historic accounts to provide
visitors with a soldier’s perspective on war.
latest exhibition, “War Stories.” Created in collaboration between staff at the
Rosenbach and five student veterans living in the Philadelphia area, this
exhibition places today’s stories alongside historic accounts to provide
visitors with a soldier’s perspective on war.
The exhibition features touch screens that you can use to tour virtual recreations of spaces soldiers occupied, like humvees, training rooms, and Civil-War era cabins. There’s also audio clips of veterans telling stories about the people they met, the spaces they lived in, and how they communicated with people back home. The exhibition will be on view until
May 26, 2013.
May 26, 2013.
To mark the occasion of the opening, we invited
trustees, members, veterans, their families, and the public to drink cider, eat
delicious Federal Donuts, and check out the new exhibition. The event served
double-duty as member appreciation day and a free day in honor of veterans. We
had quite a crowd!
trustees, members, veterans, their families, and the public to drink cider, eat
delicious Federal Donuts, and check out the new exhibition. The event served
double-duty as member appreciation day and a free day in honor of veterans. We
had quite a crowd!
The veterans who contributed
their time, stories, and photographs to the exhibition were on hand to answer
questions and see their work for the first time. Pictured with four of them, below, is the Hirsig
Family Director of Education Emilie Parker, who initially developed War Stories.
A huge thanks to all the veterans involved!
their time, stories, and photographs to the exhibition were on hand to answer
questions and see their work for the first time. Pictured with four of them, below, is the Hirsig
Family Director of Education Emilie Parker, who initially developed War Stories.
A huge thanks to all the veterans involved!
We also had the Libby Prison Minstrels play a few sets of
their Civil War-era repertoire. Here’s a video of just one of the terrific
songs they played:
their Civil War-era repertoire. Here’s a video of just one of the terrific
songs they played:
This
exhibition is part of a larger project, also called “War Stories”, a
one-of-a-kind program that engages military communities and civilians by
interweaving stories from today’s veterans with stories from the Rosenbach’s
vast historic collections.
exhibition is part of a larger project, also called “War Stories”, a
one-of-a-kind program that engages military communities and civilians by
interweaving stories from today’s veterans with stories from the Rosenbach’s
vast historic collections.
The first phase of War Stories, including the exhibition,
opening program, and school partnerships that we will tell you about soon, were
funded by the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through the Heritage
Philadelphia Program. Thanks, Pew! So, come check it out!
opening program, and school partnerships that we will tell you about soon, were
funded by the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through the Heritage
Philadelphia Program. Thanks, Pew! So, come check it out!
Elyse Poinsett is the Marketing and Special Events Associate at the Rosenbach Museum & Library.