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Civically Speaking: Betsy Ross Beyond the Flag

Join A.R.T. and the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, PA on Wednesday, March 16 for a virtual museum visit plus conversation with author and historian Dr. Marla R. Miller and actor Lenne Klingaman ("Waitress" National Tour), moderated by Sarah Schofield-Mansur, assistant director of special events and programming at A.R.T. This talk will uncover the facts and fictions associated with Ross and her contemporaries. Featuring insights from current scholarship on women’s history, discoveries in material culture studies and reflections on Ross’s portrayal in "Waitress," this event will explore Betsy Ross’s influence on the cultural memory of women’s contributions to the American Revolution.

The life of Elizabeth Griscom Ross Ashburn Claypoole (1752-1836), better known as Betsy Ross, is one of American legend. But legends are often shrouded in myth, hyperbole, exaggeration and even outright untruths. Ross’s life at the time of the Revolutionary War is no different. What is actually known about Betsy Ross? Where did she live and work, and what kind of flags did she make in her long lifetime? How did historical reenactment play a part in American Repertory Theater’s past production of "Waitress," and how is a search for historical truth informing their upcoming revival of "1776?"

Distinguished Professor of History at University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of "Betsy Ross and the Making of America," Dr. Miller, will present remarks on both the legendary Ross and her historical legacy. Then participants will join Miller and Klingaman, whose character Dawn in "Waitress" regularly moonlights as a Betsy interpreter, for a virtual behind-the-scenes visit to the collections at the Museum of the American Revolution. Museum Director of Collections and Exhibitions and author of "A Stitch in Time: The Needlework of Aging Women in Antebellum America," Dr. Aimee E. Newell, will present the challenges of researching provenance for flags, textiles and more. Newell will discuss real Revolutionary women’s lives through the use, preservation and interpretation of these historical artifacts and how they continue to influence activists for women’s rights today.

Location

Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Harvard Square

Website

https://americanrepertorytheater.org/shows-events/betsy-ross-beyond-the-flag/

Date & Time

  • Wed Mar 16, 2022

    • 10:30pm - 11:30pm

Type

  • Lectures / Talks