Civil War: Living History on American Street
Produced by Rebekah Flake, Timothy Belknap, Ryan McCartney
Icebox Project Space
April 12th, 2014
First Shots Fired
April 12th is the anniversary of the first shots fired in the Battle of Fort Sumter, widely acknowledged as
the initial conflict of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Occurring in a newly industrialized land, the
Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict in our country’s history. The war was a breaking point in a young
nation, and saw President Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 as part of the war effort,
facilitating the end of American slavery and paving the way towards equal rights and citizenship for those
to whom it had been denied.
This exhibition seeks to explore the memory and memorial of our country’s past. Certainly the issues
that led to the war itself, the aftermath of battle and reconciliation is something not so far in the past, and
perhaps remain an insistent memory in our culture. In memorializing, we find a way to sort through these
shadows. Here, memorial is presented as a hybrid: the past recreated and represented as a document
for contemporary digestion, through re-enactment, through reconsideration.
Living historians and re-enactors convened at the Icebox Project Space to engage the public and reflect
upon the significance of the war and its legacy for our neighborhood and beyond. The events of the day
were accompanied by a display of historic artifacts and contemporary artworks, including site-specific
video projections.
PARTICIPANTS: The 3rd US Colored Infantry, The 15th New Jersey Volunteers Infantry Co., The
Hampton Legion–Confederate States of America team of The North-South Skirmish Association,
Rebekah Flake
REVIEWS
Presence of the Past by Gerard Brown, Title Magazine