Mark H. Dunkelman

Who is Mark H. Dunkelman?

Mark H. Dunkelman is a historian, artist, and musician in Providence, RI. He was born on October 29, 1947, in Buffalo, NY. Early in life he began to draw and paint, and he decided to become an artist. Dunkelman received a B.F.A. in 1969 from the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1976 he was commissioned for and executed a historical mural for the town hall in Narragansett, RI, and in 1977-79 he completed a series of 100 American Civil War scenes. Dunkelman researched and designed an 80-foot-long mural at Coster Avenue in Gettysburg, PA. He painted the final mural with Rhode Island artist Johan Bjurman and it was installed in 1988.

Music has been another of Dunkelman's lifelong pursuits. He has played pedal steel guitar and dobro in several country music bands over the years and has composed numerous songs.

Dunkelman's study of Civil War history centers on a single regiment, the 154th New York Volunteer Infantry. His interest was inspired during his childhood in western New York, in the 1950s and early '60s, by stories and relics of his great-grandfather, a veteran of the regiment—Corporal John Langhans of Company H.