Traveling Exhibit “Looking at Lincoln: Political Cartoons from the Civil War Era” Comes to Miami

From October 13 through November 3, 2012.

The national traveling exhibit “Looking at Lincoln: Political Cartoons from the Civil War Era“ will be on view at the ACND Gallery of Art at Archbishop Curley Notre Dame 6 to 12 Prep from Saturday, October 13, 2012 through November 3, 2012. The exhibit, underwritten by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York City, is free and visitors are welcome Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Additional visiting hours or group tours may be arranged by calling 305.751.8367.

Bringing in a traveling exhibit is something new for the gallery.  In the past, the school has shown the professional artwork and photography of alumni and artists working in the surrounding art and design communities of Miami’s Design District, Wynwood Art District, and Buena Vista.

“One of the things I have learned from teaching history is that if you can bring it [history] to life that makes it all the more interesting to the students.  Our gallery is just the place to bring something like this to the community,” comments David Monaco, ACND’s U.S. History, Government, and Economics teacher.  “The exhibit is political art that reflects the time it was produced in.  It brings that part of the era to life for the people visiting the exhibit.  It is a great teaching opportunity for not only the middle schools and high schools in the area, but also the entire community.”

In the last few years, both Monaco and ACND’s Language Arts teacher and Reading Specialist, Kimberley Lumpkin have been selected to participate in the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s summer seminars.  In 2010, Monaco received the prestigious Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Scholarship Fellowship. 

The “Looking at Lincoln” exhibition explores the Civil War and issues of slavery from the standpoint of political cartoons of Lincoln’s contemporaries. The cartoons originally appeared in newspapers and were sold individually as prints in shops, on street corners, and by mail. Artists and citizens who created these images lived in a century in which racism was deeply ingrained in American life. Even ardent abolitionists who fought to end slavery often took little account of its implication for race relations.

These cartoons are vividly biting.  The spectator is challenged to set aside twenty first-century assumptions and look at events through the eyes of people living in the era.  Among the highlights are: a California printing of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln; and political cartoons relating to the election of 1860. As Americans continue to debate the legacy of slavery, these cartoons provide an historical point of reference for current events.

Exhibition materials are drawn in large part from the Gilder Lehrman Collection and selected prints were made available by the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
ACND Prep is proud to be recognized as an Affiliate School by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.  ACND’s Social Studies Department strives to bring students a “people perspective” on the changing world.  For more information on the “Looking at Lincoln” exhibit and to download an educator’s guide, visit www.acnd.net.  For more information about the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, visit www.gilderlehrman.org.

ACND Gallery of Art at Archbishop Curley Notre Dame
4949 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33137
305.751.8367
www.acnd.net