PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate Release
August 26, 2022
Media Contact: Georgia Ann Hudson, georgiaann.hudson@archives.alabama.gov, (334)
353-3312
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY TO
DEBUT NEW TEMPORARY EXHIBIT;
OPENING EVENTS FOR FAMILIES PLANNED FOR
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2022
Montgomery, AL (08/26/2022) – The Alabama Department of Archives and
History (ADAH) will open its new temporary exhibit, Alabama Radio Moments,
at the Museum of Alabama on Saturday, September 10, 2022. Special family
activities and demonstrations are planned throughout the afternoon to highlight
the history and technology of radio.
The new exhibit explores ways in which radio influenced the lives of
Alabamians in the twentieth century--how they learned about current events,
enjoyed sports and music, and connected with the world beyond their local
community. Featuring
items from the launch of Alabama’s first public radio station through the
beginning of the age of television and into the 1970s, the exhibit will
highlight Alabamians’ contributions to radio technology and programming the
importance of radio to the social and political climate of the era. Curated and designed by ADAH
staff, the exhibit is presented in partnership with the Birmingham-based
Alabama Historical Radio Society (AHRS) and features a number of artifacts from
the group, as well as Huntsville collector Marc Bendickson and Tuscumbia radio
station WZZA. Alabama Radio Moments will be on view through May 2023.
“Long before the internet and streaming media, radio provided Alabamians
with access to the broader world,” said ADAH director Steve Murray. “From Joe
Louis’s thrilling championship matches, to wartime dispatches from overseas, to
the cultural transformations of the 1960s, the shared experiences of Americans
for most of the twentieth century were carried on radio waves.”
“We are grateful to the Alabama Historical Radio Society for making this
exhibit possible through the display of its collections, and to Alabama Power
Company for its role in helping preserve Alabama radio history.”
On Saturday, September 10, presentations on a variety of radio topics will
be offered by members of the AHRS in the ADAH’s Joseph M. Farley Alabama Power
Auditorium. See a list of topics and times below:
12:30 pm – How Radio Works
1:30 pm –
Early Alabama Radio Stations
2:30 pm –
Theater of the Mind
3:30 pm – A
Radio Show Demonstration
Other family activities will be held throughout the day in the ADAH’s
Hands-On Gallery. From 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm in the ADAH’s second floor lobby,
AHRS members will offer a variety of interactive demonstrations including how
to build a foxhole radio and how to send Morse code. These events, and many
more public programs that will be offered throughout the run of the exhibit,
are made possible with the support of the Friends of the Alabama Archives and
the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
Admission to the opening events and to the Museum of Alabama are free.
For more information, please call (334) 353-4689 or email alex.colvin@archives.alabama.gov.
The Alabama Department of Archives and History is the state’s
government-records repository, a special-collections library and research
facility, and home to the Museum of Alabama, the state history museum. It is
located in downtown Montgomery, directly across Washington Avenue from the
State Capitol. The Museum of Alabama is
open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 to 4:30. The EBSCO Research Room is open
Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 to 4:30. To
learn more, visit www.archives.alabama.gov or call (334) 242-4364.
###