DATE: Wednesday, March 12, 1997             TAG: 9703120054

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   33 lines

CIVIL WAR ARTIFACTS SOUGHT

THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN Cultural Council of Virginia Beach is seeking photos and memorabilia regarding both black and white Civil War soldiers.

The items are wanted for an exhibit set for April 13 at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia in Virginia Beach. Original artifacts will not be displayed, but will be photographed by the organizers. The photos, in turn, will be exhibited at the one-day event.

The show is titled ``Portraits of the Past: The Confederate and Union Armies in Black & White.''

The show's purpose is to bring together descendants of both armies, and from all races. ``We thought it was time for an exhibition of both sides,'' said Edna Hendrix, a Cultural Council member.

The various roles of blacks and whites in that war will be examined with this show through text and objects. Hendrix said she plans to take photographs of area Civil War sites, including monuments and cemetery markers of soldiers.

Those interested in sharing artifacts should call the organizers at 460-3093. A date and place will be established for lenders to bring their items to be photographed while they wait.

If you have no documents but know that a relative served, the council hopes you will call with that name, to be added to a roster of local Civil War veterans that will be displayed that day.

The council was founded in 1995, and has 32 members. Its mission is to stage events that educate the community about its history, with a special emphasis on black history, Hendrix said. Last year, the council sponsored ``The Bill Pickett Invitational Black Rodeo,'' which returns in early October.

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