Immediate release

Jen Farris, ZDennis Media Group

PH: 4049215921

E: jenfarris@zdennismediagroup.com

June 23, 2011 (Atlanta, GA) – The City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs and The Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum, has initiated a four-year-long American Civil War Program Series comprising of notable Civil War experts during their series opener, The American Civil War: One-Hundred-Fifty Years Later. Most activities are free and open to the public and will be held in Historic Grant Park on the campus of The Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum (located next to The Atlanta Zoo) at 800 Cherokee Avenue SE Atlanta, GA 30315.

The diverse participants range from former Atlanta Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Rebecca Burns to African American Civil War Museum Assistant Director/Curator Hari Jones to Brad Quinlin, noted film Civil War historian for “Glory” and “Gettysburg”. The programs associated with this inaugural 150th Anniversary of The American Civil war will ‘allow audiences to expand their knowledge of the past’, according to Camille R. Love, Director of The City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Schedule of Events Continues on Page 2 and 3. For more information contact (404) 658-7625 or visit www.atlantacyclorama.org.

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ATLANTA 150^TH CIVIL WAR ANNIVERSARY SERIES - CONTINUED

“Rage in the Gate City: The Story of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot”

Former Atlanta Magazine Editor-in-Chief Turns Back History Pages to the hot summer of 1906, by offering a tightly woven narrative account surrounding the events of August and September 1906 that erupted into one of the most brutal race riots in the history of America. After four days of violence, roving groups of whites attacked and killed at least twenty-five blacks, yet after black and white civic leaders came together in unprecedented meetings that can be viewed as either concerted public relations efforts to downplay the events, or as setting the stage for Atlanta’s Civil Rights leadership half a century later.
Wednesday, June 22nd at 6:30 P.M.

“Me? Interested in the Civil War: A New Look at Atlanta and a 150-Year-Old War”

This presentation sets the stage for Georgia-based Author and Researcher Ken Denney and historian Brad Quinlin from films “Glory” and “Gettysburg” and NBC TV Series “Who Do You Think You Are” as they prepare audiences for sensory-stimulating discussions on Atlanta’s Civil War experience and African-American burial site findings.
Friday, July 8th at 6:30 P.M.

Wench: A Novel by Author Dolen Perkins-Valdez

This book reading, presented in partnership with the National Black Arts Festival, explores the complexities of slavery and the misfortunes of four enslaved women as they accompany their masters to a summer resort. Admission is $10.

“Movies in the Park”

This outdoor movie screening in Grant Park features “GLORY”, the 1989 motion picture starring Academy Award Best Supporting Actor Winner Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick and tells the story of Union Army Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and challenges he faces when leading the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the nation’s first all-Black volunteer regiment.
Saturday, July 16 at 11:00 A.M. — 4:00 P.M.

“Understanding the Civil War”

His entire day of children’s programming is designed to give children and families a hands-on approach to learning in a fun, entertaining manner. Be edu-tained through storytelling, Civil War re-enactments, singers, dancers, games, painting and fun for the entire family!

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ATLANTA 150^TH CIVIL WAR ANNIVERSARY SERIES - CONTINUED
CIVIL WAR ANNIVERSARY EVENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 6th and August 27^th at 2:15 P.M.

“Living History Vignettes”

Museum consultant and living history interpreter Anthony Knight will present Cyclorama audiences with live living history vignettes that express the challenges faced by those who dared to demand their freedom in unconventional ways.

Thursday, August 18th at 6:30 P.M.

“From Civil War to Civil Rights”

A discussion led by Atlanta Daily World newspaper Publisher Alexis Scott, African American Civil War Museum Assistant Director/Curator Hari Jones, and Atlanta History Center Senior Military Historian and Curator Gordon Jones will focus on how The Civil War helped to lay the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement and noted the progression U.S. popular culture today.
ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR

The American Civil War (1861–1865), one of the earliest true industrial wars, was a civil war in the United States of America. Led by Jefferson Davis, the “Confederacy” comprising of eleven southern slave states, declared their secession from the United States and fought for its independence from the United States.

The U.S. federal government, supported by twenty mostly-Northern slavery- free states and by five slave states known as the border states, were referred to as the “Union”. After four years of bloody, devastating warfare (mostly within the Southern states), the Confederacy surrendered and slavery was outlawed everywhere in the nation. The restoration of the Union, and the Reconstruction Era that followed, dealt with issues that remained unresolved for generations. www.sonofthesouth.net
ABOUT THE ATLANTA CYCLORAMA & CIVIL WAR MUSEUM

The Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum is the largest of only three Cycloramas in the U.S. Located in Atlanta’s Historic Grant Park neighborhood, it offers a “Cyclorama Experience”, with its three dimensional diorama, surround sound, lighting and multi-lingual narration, enabling the visitor a unique experience of “The Battle of Atlanta!” Guided tours are 9:15am - 4:30pm Tuesday thru Saturday. Admission is $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for seniors and $8.00 for children 4-12, ages 3-and-under Free. Group rates are available and arrangements can be made for private receptions, dinners, lectures and meetings. www.atlantacyclorama.org

The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) is a division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, that was established in 1974 to encourage and support Atlanta’s cultural resources. In order to improve the social fabric and quality of life for Atlanta’s citizens and visitors, the Office is committed to nurturing excellence and diversity in the city’s artistic offerings. OCA acknowledges that the arts play an essential role in defining the cultural life of the city and contribute substantially to the city’s economy by supporting programs that educate and expose the public to a rich and diverse range of cultural expression. The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs strives to enhance Atlanta’s reputation as a cultural destination. www.ocaatlanta.com