The Schmucker Art Gallery at Gettysburg College, in conjunction with the Civil War Institute and Special Collections and College Archives, is proud to present two exhibitions in Fall, 2026 to celebrate America 250. “A Great and Truthful Medium”: Photography at Gettysburg and Beyond, Selections from the Ron Perisho Collection at Gettysburg College [September 2 – December 5, 2026] and "Uncle Abe": The Common Image of the Uncommon Man [September 2 - November 22, 2026]. Both exhibits are entirely curated by students. They respectively explore historic photographic imagery of the town and battlefield of Gettysburg, as well as the popular visual culture associated with Lincoln.
These exhibitions will be accompanied by a symposium on Saturday, October 24, entitled Memory through Imagery, Gettysburg and Lincoln: A Symposium, which will be held in in Mara Auditorium (Masters Hall), on the Gettysburg College campus, from 10 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. The symposium will explore the cultural significance of Civil War photography, photographic history, and the processes of collecting and curating relevant historic objects. Speakers include Civil War historian, Dr. James Broomall (William Binford Vest Chair in History, University of Richmond) and photographic scholar, Shannon Perich (Curator of Photographic History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History). It will also feature talks and panel discussions with student curators, Maddie Ulman ’26, Michael Aaron ’26, and Devon Szczepkowicz ’26, photography donor, Ron Perisho, Schmucker Gallery’s Director, Dr. Sarah Kate Gillespie, and CWI Assistant Director Dr. Ashley Luskey. Tours and viewings of the exhibitions will follow the main program. A small reception outside the gallery will close out the symposium.
All events are free and open to the public; no reservations required. The Schmucker Art Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am-4pm. The Gallery will also hold special visiting hours on Sunday, November 15, Monday, November 16, and Sunday, November 22, 10am-4pm, and Thursday, November 19, 10am - 6pm to coincide with other America 250 events occurring in town that week.
For further questions and program specifics, please contact Dr. Sarah Kate Gillespie, Director of the Schmucker Art Gallery, at sgillespi@gettysburg.edu.