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Abe Lincoln’s legacy comes to Downtown Las Cruces

BYJENNA FROSCH

The Las Cruces Bulletin

In the beginning of his life, Abraham Lincoln “feared of achieving nothing that would make men remember him,” but as his life unfolded, he became the 16th president of the United States and one of the most influential Americans in history.

Now, during the bicentennial year of his birth, the Branigan Cultural Center will host the traveling exhibit “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America,” which will visit only 40 institutions on its tour. It will open with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, which will feature a Lincoln impersonator that will be escorted by a 1860s Army color guard. Dwight Pitcaithley will open the night’s festivities with a few remarks about Lincoln’s legacy in New Mexico.

“This exhibit is really a feather in our cap,” says Mary Kay Shannon with the Branigan Cultural Center. “It’s only going to 40 institutions nationwide and the next closest place to here is Denver or Dallas. We’re really excited to have this opportunity.”

The world-class traveling exhibit, organized by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill., is on display through Dec. 18.

“Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” was created to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of America’s greatest presidents. The “We, the People” program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, provided major financial support for the exhibition and accompanying programs. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and the History Channel provided additional financial and in-kind support.

Las Cruces schools will have an opportunity to receive one of five kits designed to educate students about Lincoln andthe exhibit, and Shannon says to date, 18 school groups have signed up to tour the display.

The exhibit covers Lincoln’s childhood, his self-education, his careers as a surveyor and lawyer, his family life, the Lincoln- Douglas debates, the 1860 presidential election, the Civil War, the 13th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation, his assassination and other important periods and events in his life. The reproduction artifacts on display, all modeled from originals in the Presidential Library and Museum, include Lincoln’s favorite books; his son Tad’s toy cannon; the nameplate from his Springfield home; his stovepipe hat, which he used like a briefcase to hold important papers; a Presidential campaign banner; an axe that Lincoln used to chop wood; the bloody gloves found in Lincoln’s pocket the night of his assassination; and many other unique and interesting items.

There will be several events to highlight the exhibit, including a lecture by Pitcaithley at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, titled “Lincoln’s Lasting Influence on New Mexico.” Pitcaithley will draw on his experiences as chief historian for the United States Park Service for the lecture. Immediately following will be poetry readings by local poets, including some poems about Lincoln and some of his favorites.

From 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, the Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music will present a concert of Lincoln’s favorite music.

A panel discussion about the Lincoln biographies will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9. Panelists include volunteer docents at the museum that have become well-versed in Lincoln’s story.

“We have been working with our volunteers for the last three months and they have read extensively in preparation forthis topic,” Shannon says.

Lincoln, the son of a subsistence farmer, came of age during a dramatic transformation in America’s economic life. Like many of his contemporaries, he embraced a new emphasis on personal initiative, risk-taking and ambition. He was only 22 when he left his family home to find his own way. After enduring a series of personal failures in business, he became a prosperous attorney, devoted husband and father, successful politician and, finally, the 16th President of the United States. While Lincoln benefited from close associations with a number of powerful friends, his own talents and ambitions combined with hard work and a dedication to self-improvement to produce a unique American specimen – the self-made man.

The American Library Association of Chicago and the Tribeca Film Institute of New York made strong contributions to the exhibit programming. Locally, the Branigan Cultural Center will work with Thomas Branigan Memorial Library and New Mexico State University faculty to provide supplemental programming for the exhibit.

For more information about the “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” exhibit, visitwww.alplm.org/learning_station/ exhibit.html.

Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. They will be closed Thanksgiving Day and the day after. For more information, contact the Branigan Cultural Center at 541-2156.

The “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” exhibit is showing in only 40 venues across the country.

Lincoln’s life masks are among the many artifacts included in the exhibit showing at the Branigan Cultural Center through Dec. 18.