Whose Revolution
Whose Revolution
March 28 – September 1
Join Curator talks at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm on March 28
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, the Concord Museum is proud to share the new special exhibition, Whose Revolution.
Opening March 28, Whose Revolution offers a fresh, inclusive perspective on this pivotal moment in American history, centering the experiences of women, Indigenous communities, and free and enslaved Black people who grappled with the meaning of revolution in their own lives. Through a rich array of objects, from paintings, prints, and political cartoons to historic clothing, textiles, furniture, and ceramics, as well as film and multimedia installations, Whose Revolution provides a vivid and tangible sense of what it was like to live through this dramatic period of mounting tension and crisis and the significance of this history today.
Featured objects include a lavish British Spitalfields silk gown and other historic textiles illuminating the experiences of women and children, a media installation exploring the lives of free and enslaved Black people in Concord, a new commissioned wampum choker by Elizabeth James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag), and a film with Elizabeth Solomon (Massachusett) reflecting on the meaning of the American Revolution within Indigenous communities in Massachusetts. Whose Revolution will also feature portraits by John Singleton Copley, a first printing of Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, ceramics, and prints, on loan for the special exhibition.
Images:
Gown, Massachusetts and England, 1760s-1770s. Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Mrs. Mary Adelaide Sargent Poor; Cos40.16.
Embroidered Pocket, Concord, Ma., 18th century. Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Susan Rimbey; 2023.28.1.
Twivel, England or America, 18th century. Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Cummings E. Davis; H2055.
Elizabeth James-Perry, Aquinnah Wampanoag Culture Bearer and Artist, Courtesy of the Concord Museum; 2024.1.1.
Teapot, Josiah Wedgwood, Staffordshire, England, 1750-1760. Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Mr. Russell H. Kettell; C1383.
Eleazer Brooks by Benjamin Blythe, Salem, Ma, 1774. Concord Museum Collection, Gift of George and Lisa Foote, Candace Brooks Carr, and anonymous donor; 2005.1.
Mary Jones Coat of Arms Needlework, Boston, Ma, 1760-1770. Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Cummings E. Davis; T900.
A View of the Town of Concord, April 19, 1775 after Amos Doolittle View of the Center of Concord Plate, Timothy Martin Minot, Massachusetts, about 1825. Concord Museum Collection, Bequest of Mrs. Stedman Buttrick, Sr.; Pi414.
This exhibition is made possible, in part, by the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Decorative Arts Trust; the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; the Americana Foundation; the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area, and the ‘Quin House Impact Fund.
