A concert featuring music from Uprising by Atlanta playwright Gabrielle Fulton is one of three upcoming events marking the Civil War’s 150th anniversary at the Cyclorama, Atlanta’s one-of-a-kind historical exhibit.
The Cyclorama, as many metro Atlantans might or might not know, depicts the Civil War’s 1864 Battle of Atlanta. The oil painting, one of the largest in the world, dates to 1885.
All events take place at the Cyclorama and Civil War Museum near Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park, 800 Cherokee Ave. S.E. Free parking available nearby. These are among the last events at the Grant Park site, where the valuable cultural artifact has rested for nearly a century.
The 9-ton painting’s new home will be a 23,000-sq. ft. building at the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead. There, the painting, which measures 42 feet tall and 365 feet in circumference, will grow. A 6-ft. wide by 50-ft. high panel depicting part of the battle will be restored, as will 8 feet of sky. Both portions were removed to accommodate the Grant Park location. Building construction, due to begin in Buckhead this summer, is expected to take a year.
Meanwhile, the 150th anniversary celebration goes on:
FEB. 12
7 p.m. Abraham Lincoln, the Anti-Slavery Movement and the Congregational Church. Authors William F. and Jane Ann Moore explore how Owen Lovejoy, an abolitionist and Congregational Church minister, influenced Lincoln’s attitudes toward slavery. Free.
APRIL 23
7 p.m. A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom. A documentary presented in partnership with Urban Film Review, chronicles efforts by Randolph, a leading black labor leader and a Martin Luther King Jr. contemporary, to secure economic equality as a foundation for civil rights. A discussion follows. Free.
JUNE 7
3 p.m. Uprising: The Music. The cast performs music from the stage play, which tells the story of John Brown’s failed 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. The musical was developed in part through the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab at the Alliance Theatre. It features original and traditional jazz, blues and gospel. Included in Cyclorama admission: $8-$10. Tickets HERE.
