Experience Black History Month with the “Living Historians” of the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers on Feb. 18th …
Artist At Work – Masterworks by Kenneth M. Freeman at
Desert Caballeros Western Museum Arizona Centennial Exhibition
Members of the Arizona Memorial 9thCavalry Buffalo Soldiers will be on hand to meet and greet visitors and answer questions about this important part of Arizona history from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
(Wickenburg, Arizona -- February 7, 2012) As February is Black History Month Black History Month, or National African American History Month, the Desert Caballeros Western Museum Arizona Centennial Exhibition holds a special significance because of the Buffalo Soldiers display in the Artist At Work – Masterworks by Kenneth M. Freeman. Freeman (1935-2008), Rembrandt of the Rodeo – was a Captain in the 9th Memorial Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers. On Saturday, February 18, 2012 members of the Arizona Memorial 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers will be at the museum to meet and greet visitors and answer questions about this important part of Arizona history. In addition, Bonnie Adams, curator of the Legacy Collection will also attending as a lady of the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers. There will be photo opportunities with all of the members representing the Arizona Memorial 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers.
The Arizona Centennial Exhibition at Desert Caballeros Western Museum Exhibition contains paintings, sculpture and artifacts of the Buffalo Soldiers.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is a replica of Kenneth M. Freeman’s art studio which features his easel, artifacts, and the Freeman’s last painting, Impending Decision IV.
Kenneth M. Freeman Online Press Room: http://www.CisionWire.com/Ken-Freeman contains HD Video and 20 high resolution images including close-up details of several paintings. Artist At Work - Digital Museum Catalogue of the Exhibition: http://issuu.com/cisco_socialmedia_pr/docs/artistatworkcat Artist at Work – Masterworks of The Kenneth M. Freeman Legacy is the Arizona Centennial Exhibition of the Desert Caballeros Western Museum.
Adams says Kenneth Freeman was a huge supporter of the Buffalo Soldiers.
“During the late 1800’s and early 1900s, the Buffalo Soldiers were assigned to the harshest and most desolate posts. The Buffalo Soldiers fought the Indian Wars of the American West and established frontier outposts which have since become towns,” explained Adams. “Ken was an honorary Captain in the 9th Memorial U.S. Calvary Buffalo Soldiers and his paintings and sculptures of the Buffalo Soldiers are compelling works.”
Included in the Buffalo Soldiers Exhibit are a regiment flag, Ken’s uniform, photographs, pencil sketches, underpaintings, artifacts, finished paintings and sculpture.
On Saturday, William “Bill” McCurtis, president and Regimental Sergeant Major of the 9th Memorial U.S. Cavalry along with other members of the regiment will be at the museum to answer any questions regarding "Buffalo Soldier" history.
“We are all looking forward to attending the 64th Annual Gold Rush Days, and also bring Honor and Respect to Captain Kenneth Freeman and Bonnie Adams-Freeman,” McCurtis said. “These men are living historians, but we do not do reenactments. We are happy to educate and entertain all who stop by the museum.”
McCurtis feels that Freeman had the true spirit of the Buffalo Soldier in him.
“He was one of the rare people that realized that although in the document authorizing the forming of the all-black regiments, in 1866, stating that the Officers must be white, the all-white officers were just as much Buffalo Soldiers as the troops they commanded,” McCurtis said. “When Ken painted, he brought this spirit out in his subjects.”
“Ken felt a special bond with the story of the Buffalo Soldiers and felt it needed to be told,” adds McCurtis.
For more than 17 years, the 9th Memorial United States Cavalry has fought an uphill battle to teach the true history of the "Buffalo Soldiers," McCurtis said. “Ken embodied the true meaning and essence of an Officer of the militarily most Famous and Most Decorated "Buffalo Soldier" Regiments – The 9th Memorial United States Cavalry. Ken is always with us – both in spirit and also through his wife, Mrs. Bonnie Adams-Freeman - "A Lady of the Regiment" who has worked with us to keep the memory alive.
In addition to participating throughout Arizona in honor of Arizona’s Centennial Celebration, some of the duties of the 9th include:
- Official State Color Guard for all Military and State formal events
- Teaching Military History whenever and wherever needed or requested and
- Assemble, train and activate a formal Cason Platoon for Military Grave Side services.
About the Buffalo Soldiers
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Buffalo Soldiers were assigned to the harshest and most desolate posts. Specific duties included subduing Mexican revolutionaries, outlaws, commancheros, rustlers and hostile Native Americans. Additional administrative duties included exploring and mapping the Southwest, and establishing frontier outposts for future towns. (http://www.9thcavalry.com).
The Buffalo Soldiers fought in the Indians Wars of the American West, Spanish American War of 1898, WWI and WWII. The Buffalo Soldier Motto: “WE CAN: WE WILL” Their adversary, whether Indians, outlaws, Mexican revolutionaries, or gun smugglers, found that the Buffalo Soldiers, like their namesake, could not easily be diverted from their trail. Whatever the reason for the name, the Buffalo Soldier has come down in American military history as one of the proudest individuals of all.
About the 9th Cavalry
By Sergeant Major Bill McCurtis
We are committed to teaching the history of the BUFFALO SOLDIERS in general and the 9th U.S. Cavalry in particular. These Officers and Men of the 9th U.S. Cavalry fought to make the civilian population of the west secure in their quest for places of their own and to realize their peace and security did NOT come cheap. The men of the 9th were never heard, much less acknowledged or recognized. We as descendents and beneficiaries of this outstanding legacy have a duty to insure these men get the recognition they deserve and finally to take their rightful places in the written and visual history of our country. We now have a solid base to build on. We are becoming firm in our knowledge of not only the men we represent, but also in recognizing other races that helped and / or served with them.
When we don uniforms or period dress, we have a duty and responsibility to represent these people in the best we possibly can and continue to make the name "BUFFALO SOLDIERS" a household word: wear the titles of storekeeper, muleskinner, school-teacher, marshal, etc., with pride, dignity and respect. One final note, master artist Kenneth M. Freeman was a Captain in the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers. He is remembered fondly for his commitment to our group.
MEDIA ALERT
Who: Sgt. Major Bill McCurtis and other Buffalo Soldiers, Exhibition Curator Bonnie Adams dressed in period costume as a “Lady of the Regiment,” and DCWM Museum Executive Director W. James Burns
What: Black History Month Exhibition – Kenneth M. Freeman and the Buffalo Soldiers – “Artist at Work: The Masterworks of Kenneth M. Freeman” museum exhibition consists of over 60 oil paintings, sculptures, illustrations and a compelling centerpiece of a replica of Ken's art studio complete with studio artifacts. Subject matter includes working cowboys and cowgirls, portraits of rodeo heroes, Native American elders and children, mountain men, and Western landscapes. “Artist at Work” is a travelling retrospective that provides a tribute to an internationally recognized Western artist, illustrator and cowboy.
Members of the Arizona Memorial 9thCavalry Buffalo Soldiers will be at the museum to meet and greet visitors and answer questions about this important part of Arizona history. In addition, Bonnie Adams, curator of the Legacy Collection will also attending as a lady of the 9thCavalry Buffalo Soldiers. There will be photo opportunities with all of the members representing the Arizona Memorial 9thCavalry Buffalo Soldiers.
When: Saturday, February 18, 2012 10 AM to 3 PM
Where: Desert Caballeros Western Museum, 21 North Frontier Street, Wickenburg, AZ 85390
Why: Kenneth M. Freeman was a long time Arizona resident and is recognized as leading Western artist. Freeman painted many Arizonans famous and not, including Country singer Ray Herndon as well as the beautiful landscape of the state. Works of Kenneth M. Freeman are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum, Library of Congress, American Art Academy, and Booth Museum as well as distinguished private collections.
Accolades include winning competitions at the San Diego Museum of Art, the Hubbard Museum of Art, the Illinois State Fair, the Salmagundi Show in New York City, the Union League Club of Chicago, being chosen five times as artist for the Parada Del Sol Rodeo in Scottsdale, AZ and having a painting selected for the 1988 Prescott Centennial Rodeo. He was an illustrator for many noted authors including Louis L’Amour.
Ken was known affectionately as “Rembrandt of the Rodeo” by members of the press. First Lady Barbara Bush, impressed with Ken Freeman’s southwestern art, invited him to show at the Smithsonian Institute in conjunction with the Native American Museum Extravaganza. Ken also had a one man show in 2007 in Milan, Italy at Fondazione Metropolitan. www.KennethMFreeman.com
Recent Kenneth M. Freeman Awards of Excellence:
- Lifetime Achievement Award from Western Artists of America (Jan. 2010)
- Western Heritage Award from Parada del Sol Rodeo (March 2010)
- Cowboy Spirit Award from the National Festival of the West (March 2010)
- Special Award from the World’s Oldest Rodeo – Prescott, AZ (July 2010)
- Lifetime Achievement Award from Arizona Art Alliance (December 2010)
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