The Crusader

The Civil War Traveling Arts Show visited Lansdale Catholic this past week. For the past five years, Lansdale Catholic has hosted five different traveling art shows. Past attractions included exhibits on the Harlem Renaissance, Diego Rivera, and Ellis Island. This year's exhibition comes 150 years after the breakout and battles of America's bloodiest war. Located in the Student Resource Center, the exhibit aimed to educate students about the Civil War with actual historical images from the era as well as more modern paintings.

The exhibit's largest attraction was a huge silk screen that featured not only the imposing figures of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, the president of the United States and the president of the Confederacy respectively, but also an actual photograph taken shortly before the bloodshed at Gettysburg. Several photographs from the exhibit were taken by famous American photographer, Matthew Brady. He is credited with many historical photographs depicting American life during the 1860s. Two other silk screens were hung on the side walls and displayed several of Brady's photographs. The exhibit also featured several paintings by historical artist, Mort Kunstler. He is well-known for his realistic depictions of life during the Civil War. Kunstler's paintings depicted situations ranging from men heading into the thick of battle to a family saying goodbye to their loved ones.

Throughout the week of January 8-14, English classes visited the Student Resource Center during class. A film from the History Channel was shown to each class, titled The Images of the Civil War. The film featured live-action reenactments and several profiles of important Civil War personalities. Posters were hung on the walls of the Student Resource Center containing important quotes from the Civil War era. A timeline that followed the major events of the Civil War also wrapped around the entrance of the Student Resource Center. The Civil War Traveling Art Show continued a tradition of bringing in outside contributors to educate our students.