Bicentennial exhibit on display in September

Published 12:22 am Thursday, August 23, 2018

Making Alabama: A Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit, presented by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, will be on display in Andalusia at the arts center of the Lower Alabama Arts Coalition (LAAC), The Gallery, from September 4 through September 28.

The exhibit made its debut in Montgomery in March, displaying 200 years of Alabama history, and is on a 19-month tour of all 67 counties of the state.

The display blends artistic collages, interactive computer tablets and an audio medley of song and spoken word to tell the story of Alabama – from becoming a territory to achieving statehood. It also conveys a message of hope in its presentation about the future.

Organizers say AHF was a natural choice for coordinating the traveling exhibit with decades of experience through its partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street traveling exhibit.

“Just like the Smithsonian, where not everyone has the opportunity to view a Smithsonian exhibit in Washington, not everyone can make it to Montgomery to see Alabama Department of Archives and History’s unparalleled ‘Voices’ exhibit,” said AHF Executive Director Armand DeKeyser. “What we are putting together gives them that opportunity.”

In addition, host communities are assembling their own historical exhibits and collateral programming and activities to showcase their own history and put their signature on this event.

In Andalusia, the exhibit will open with a reception on Tuesday, September 4, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the LAAC’s arts center, 209 East Three Notch Street, and the public is cordially invited. The arts center will also offer at $10 a copy the companion book Past Port: A Time-Traveler’s Companion to Our Counties; it will be available as well at Springdale and the Three-Notch Museum. Purchasers can get their Covington County page stamped at any one of these locations.

Steve Hubbard, president of the Lower Alabama Arts Coalition, invites everyone from throughout the county, as well as visitors passing through, to see the exhibit. “I especially encourage teachers of Alabama and American history to bring their students,” Hubbard says. “The LAAC is very pleased to have been asked to host the exhibit.”

The schedule for the exhibit in Andalusia is Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. On three Saturdays, September 8, 15, and 22, the arts center will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Mondays may be available for groups by appointment; the number to call is (334) 222-3205.

To learn more about this statewide exhibit and scheduling, go to MakingAlabama.org.