Civil War art event to raise funds for Southern Fauquier Historical Society

American art and Civil War enthusiasts will be able to hear first-hand ion Sept. 29 in Warrenton how Smithsonian Institution’s senior art curator Eleanor Jones Harvey organized and selected her acclaimed exhibit, The Civil War and American Art, now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The illustrated talk and discussion will be held at the Liberty Heritage Society Museum, at 45 Main Street on Sunday, September 29, and will incorporate significant works from the Museum’s permanent collection.

Harvey, for nine years the chief curator at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, organized the highly acclaimed The Civil War and American Art exhibit and published the related catalog book which includes 103 color and 110 black-and-white illustrations, in association with Yale University Press.  It has received rave reviews for its unusual and diverse content, and for the insightful descriptions of the many works illustrated within its pages.
       
Use of the small and richly appointed museum is courtesy of owner Don Tharpe and the Liberty Heritage Society.  Because of the intimate space, seating will be limited.  Doors will open at 4 p.m. on Sept. 29, and Harvey’s presentation will begin approximately 30 minutes later.  Afternoon refreshments, including wine courtesy of Rogers Ford Winery, are included with admission.
 
Harvey’s presentation is a fund-raising event supporting the continuing operation of the Old Jail Museum in Old Town Warrenton, and all proceeds after expenses will be directed there.