[278] Spring 2010 Heritage Lecture Series Kicks Off Feb. 18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 29, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919, or lrollins@mtsu.edu

SPRING 2010 HERITAGE LECTURE SERIES KICKS OFF FEB. 18
Public Invited to Free ‘Art and Material Culture in Civil War Era Tennessee’ Talk

(MURFREESBORO)—The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, along with the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, invite the public to attend the first program of its spring 2010 series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18.
The free lecture, Shades of Gray and Blue: What Art and Material Culture Can Tell Us About Life in Civil War Era Tennessee, will be led by Susan W. Knowles, a Ph.D. candidate in public history.
For the past year, Knowles and collaborator, Celia Walker, a former museum curator now working as director of special projects, Vanderbilt University Libraries, have traveled the state identifying significant objects that help tell the story of life in Tennessee during the Civil War.
Knowles and Walker are working in partnership with MTSU’s Walker Library and a panel of museum curators and educators from across the state. The virtual gallery of objects and the stories behind them will be published as a Web site so students and teachers may dig deep into the rich history of Tennessee as it was 150 years ago.
“For the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War in 2011, we are using works of art and artisanship to open the door to hidden aspects of our state’s Civil War history,” said Knowles, who has worked as an independent curator for more than 20 years, has organized exhibitions for the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, The Tennessee State Museum and National Museum of Women in the Arts.
The Community Heritage Lecture Series will be held at The Heritage Center, located just off the downtown square in Murfreesboro at 225 West College St. The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, which is a partnership unit of the National Park Service, sponsors the free program.
The Heritage Center is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays, and features guided walking tours of the town square on the hour. Group tours are available Monday through Saturday by advance reservations. Admission is free.
The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is a joint venture between the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Main Street: Murfreesboro/ Rutherford County, the City of Murfreesboro and the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU. Additional support comes from the Rutherford County government and State Farm Insurance.
For more information on the Community Heritage Lecture Series, please call 615-217-8013 or e-mail to jbutt@mtsu.edu.

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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.