New Exhibit Debuts in Gettysburg

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Jun 10, 2010, 02:00 ET

'Abraham Lincoln: One Man, Two Views' at Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center

GETTYSBURG, Pa., June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The amazing creative and visual journey taken by artists to represent Abraham Lincoln through sculpture is the focus of a new exhibit at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100610/DC19206 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100610/DC19206 )

The exhibit — "Abraham Lincoln: One Man, Two Views" — takes visitors on a visual journey through the creative process used by artist Ivan Schwartz of StudioEIS in Brooklyn, N.Y., to arrive at two bronze sculptures, "Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg," which was installed last fall at the main entrance to the Museum and Visitor Center, and "Lincoln at President Lincoln's Cottage," in Washington, D.C.

"This exhibit is a wonderful complement to the museum," said Barbara J. Finfrock, vice chair of the Gettysburg Foundation. "Abraham Lincoln is such a powerful force in world history, and we are now able to offer visitors yet another look at this fascinating person."

The exhibition explores the process of creating the sculpture from simple sketches to the final installation of the artwork. StudioEIS is also the creator of the bronze sculpture "Lincoln at President Lincoln's Cottage" in Washington, D.C., Jefferson at Monticello, George and Martha Washington at Mt. Vernon and Dolley and James Madison at Montpelier.

Access to the "Abraham Lincoln: One Man, Two Views" exhibit is included with admission to the Cyclorama, Film and Museum Experience, available exclusively at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.gettysburgfoundation.org or by calling 877-874-2478.

The exhibit will be on display at the Museum and Visitor Center from June through August.

To complement the "Abraham Lincoln: One Man, Two Views" exhibit, historian and Gettysburg Foundation Leadership Program Manager Sue Boardman will offer free public programs — "Lincoln in Granite and Bronze" — that will explore the history of Abraham Lincoln in sculpture. These programs will be held on Friday, June 25; Wednesday, July 7; Wednesday, July 14; Wednesday, Aug. 4; Wednesday, Aug. 18 and Wednesday, Sept. 1 in the Ford Motor Company Fund Education Center at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. All programs begin at 2 p.m.

The sculpture, "Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg," and associated landscaping are the gifts of the late philanthropist Robert H. Smith. The environment for the sculpture outside the main entrance to the park's Museum and Visitor Center was created by landscape architect Andrew Balderson of Donovan, Feola, Balderson & Associates of Montgomery Village, Md.

The Gettysburg Foundation is a private, non-profit educational organization working in partnership with the National Park Service to enhance preservation and understanding of the heritage and lasting significance of Gettysburg. The Foundation raised funds for and now operates the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park, 1195 Baltimore Pike, in Gettysburg. In addition to operating the Museum and Visitor Center, the Foundation has a broad preservation mission that includes land, monument and artifact preservation and battlefield rehabilitation — all in support of the National Park Service's goals at Gettysburg.

For information about the Foundation, the Friends of Gettysburg (the membership component of the Gettysburg Foundation), visiting Gettysburg, or becoming a part of the history of Gettysburg through your contribution, visit www.gettysburgfoundation.org or call 877-874-2478 or the administrative offices at 717-338-1243.