'Portraits of Patriotism' at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

The African American Museum of Iowa (AAMI) is proud to announce a partnership with the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art (CRMA) to present @ the Studio: “Portraits of Patriotism: African American Experiences during the American Revolution.” This free program will take place at the Grant Wood Studio and Armstrong Visitor Center (810 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA) on November 10, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. and will feature speaker Dr. Brie Swenson Arnold, Assistant Professor of History at Coe College in Cedar Rapids.

Dr. Swenson Arnold will explore the varied experiences of African Americans during the revolutionary struggle, focusing on the military service and war-time roles of African Americans-slave and free, patriot and loyalist. Like all people living in the British North American colonies at the time of the American Revolution, African Americans had to decide which side they would align with during the Revolutionary War. Believing in the inherent possibilities and promises of revolutionary documents like the Declaration of Independence, some African Americans supported the cause of the American “Patriots.” Other African Americans supported the British and remained loyal to the Crown. Individual African Americans supported and fought on the side they believed could best ensure their personal freedom and liberty-be it freedom from lifelong bondage, freedom to serve in the military, freedom to express one's political rights, or freedom from unequal treatment.

This event is held while the CRMA is displaying an American treasure: Charles Willson Peale's portrait of George Washington, on loan from the Brooklyn Museum. Commissioned in 1776 by John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, this was Peale's second full-scale life portrait of Washington, and the first to portray him as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. The painting will be on display at the CRMA until December 31, 2011 and is supported in part by Diamond V Mills, Inc. and the Momentum Fund of The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

For more information on this or other programs, please visit the African American Museum of Iowa (AAMI) website at www.blackiowa.org or call 319-862-2101 ext. 222. The AAMI is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and is located at 55 12th SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.