News Release

John Brown Raiders portrait exhibition to open in Harpers Ferry

Peter Cizmadia with 'Invisibles' portraits

NPS Photo/Chris Holtslander

News Release Date: May 2, 2019

Contact: Autumn Cook, 304-702-5684

HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. – Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will host a portrait exhibition titled 'Invisibles,' featuring the work of fall 2018 artist-in-residence Peter Cizmadia. As part of the artist residency, Cizmadia completed a series of portraits commemorating the 24 men and women who actively supported John Brown's 1859 raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry. He seeks to encourage viewers to learn the motivations and background of these individuals, and consider what drove each of them to risk so much in the fight against slavery.  

The portraits will be on display Saturday, May 4, 2019 through January 2020 on the second floor of the John Brown Museum in the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

Peter Cizmadia is a visual artist who specializes in stenciling, photography and painting to build mixed media artwork. He spends significant time traveling and finding inspiration within the American landscape. These landscapes and their hidden histories feature prominently in his work as a reminder that what may seem like the distant past is very much alive in the present.

The Artist-in-Residence program continues to honor a long tradition of artists in national parks, which began in the 1870s when the Hudson River School painters captured majestic Western landscapes. The work of those early artists allowed the public to see these special places in America for the first time and inspired the preservation of these lands for future generations.

For more information about the Artist-in-Residence program at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, please visit the park’s website or contact the park’s Volunteer Program Coordinator, Samantha Zurbuch, at 304-535-5017.