If you were telling the story of Alabama from the dawn of the 1700s until now, what would you need to do it? For the Museum of Alabama, the answer turns out to be 11, 000 square feet of space, more than 800 artifacts and hundreds of images that carry visitors from cotton empire to the moon race and beyond.
The Museum of Alabama’s new centerpiece exhibition, Alabama Voices, will officially open to the public in Montgomery on Saturday, Feb. 15, a year after construction started. The permanent, Smithsonian-quality show is the culmination of nearly a decade’s worth of research, planning and fundraising.
The public grand opening will feature a wide variety of activities for the entire family. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the front terrace of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Visitors can tour the new exhibition, enjoy food, art and performances by Alabama musical groups on the Archives’ front lawn, listen to presentations by contributors to the exhibition, and participate in activities for families and children.
Musical groups to perform include the Birmingham Sunlights, Flying Jenny, Bay City Brass Band and Mariachi Garibaldi. The event is free to the public.
The museum is located at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in downtown Montgomery and open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Admission is always free. For more information call 334-328-9088.
Text by Dave Helms
