Great works of art can teach a lot about the past. Historic sites and events can have great aesthetic value, too.

The Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center will open three exhibits that show history and art are not mutually exclusive. At the same time, these exhibits will give visitors an insight into the lives and struggles of blacks before, during and after the Civil War.

The three shows - “Uncovering the Path to Freedom,” “Unsung Heroes,” and “Emancipation and Denigration” - will simultaneously open this weekend and run through June 14. An opening reception will be held Sunday, and the artists involved will discuss the pieces the next two Sundays.

One of those artists is William Earle Williams, a photographer and professor of fine arts at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Since 1995, Williams has been capturing scenes of Civil War memorial sites and battlegrounds in black and white stills.

The sites Williams has photographed are unique in that they trace the steps of more than 180,000 black soldiers who fought in the Civil War. More than 60 of those images make up “Unsung Heroes.”

In the same stretch of time, Williams has captured scenes along the famous Underground Railroad, the network through which tens of thousands of people were able to escape slavery. “Uncovering the Path to Freedom” depicts many of the steps along that journey, including those in central New York.

Both collections show empty buildings, open fields, dilapidated graveyards and other static scenes. Though the historical significance of most of photographs is not immediately evident, each piece is accompanied by a brief explanation.

Juxtaposed with Williams' work are images directly from the years following emancipation. Thomas Nast, an illustrator for Harper's Weekly during the 1860s, published dozens of pictures criticizing slavery and racial inequality in the United States.

Hamilton College professor Jay G. Williams collected nine of Nast's wood carvings, which make up “Emancipation and Denigration.” Through these images, Nast commented on events like the riots in New York following the Civil War draft and President Lincoln's visit to Richmond, Va.

Stephanie Schuster, assistant director at the Schweinfurth, said the museum does not tend to display historical content as much as it does contemporary art. But these pieces, especially Williams's photographs, have artistic value on their own.

“I think he frames each image in a way that makes it very much a piece of fine art,” Schuster said. “Some of these photos reflect the importance of African American soldiers in the Civil War, but they are also visually engaging.”

The photos that follow the underground railroad also have local significance. The Finger Lakes region was very much a part of the abolitionist movement, and many of Williams's photos are of central New York scenes.

“Hopefully these will resonate with our local community,” Schuster said. “People who are familiar with this area will be able to relate to these images.”

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net

If you go

What: “Uncovering the Path to Freedom,” “Unsung Heroes” and “Emancipation and Denigration”

When: Exhibits open 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26

Where: Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, 205 Genesee St., Auburn

Cost: $3 suggested admission

Info: Call 255-1553