MMoA opening next installation in a series of innovative exhibitions exploring early 1900s
Posted on: December 6th, 2023
MOBILE, Ala. – On December 15, 2023, Mobile Museum of Art will open DECADES: Looking Back/Moving Forward (1920-1939), the second in a series of exhibitions that immerse visitors in the art, history, and innovations of the decades leading up to the sixties when MMoA first opened.
“Our team was so excited to witness how visitors responded to the first installment in this series of exhibitions,” MMoA Executive Director Jon Carfagno says. “From our feedback stations to conversations in the galleries, we’ve heard from so many people about how the combination of stories about the artists, historical facts, films, and local tie-ins added so much to their experience of the museum’s collections. This next chapter examines a fascinating and dynamic time while featuring many of MMoA’s greatest works.”
MMoA will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary in October 2024. The DECADES installations recreate what it was like to be alive then, not only experiencing political and historical events, but navigating the personal lives of work, home, family, and leisure.
The 1920s and 30s were a time of explosive change. The population of the United States increased significantly, and urban centers grew. The methods and means of transportation changed, and cars zoomed along the streets. Manufacturing helped make everyday items — like washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and refrigerators — affordable for households. Women’s role in society, as well as fashion, changed dramatically, and cultural and artistic movements flourished.
The exhibition features artists such as Lamar Baker, Saul Berman, Fred Emanuel Shane, and Grant Wood along with historic dresses and accessories from the History Museum of Mobile’s collection. Historic photographs throughout the gallery have been provided by the Historic Mobile Preservation Society (HMPS) and the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.
The DECADES exhibitions are generously funded by The J.L. Bedsole Foundation. All Museum exhibitions and programs are supported by the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Mobile. DECADES: Looking Back/Moving Forward (1920-1939) will be on view at Mobile Museum of Art from December 15, 2023 through April 27, 2024. For more information about this exhibition and other Museum programs, visit www.MobileMuseumofArt.com.
About the Mobile Museum of Art
Open: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed: Monday, Sunday & all City Holidays
Langan Municipal Park | 4850 Museum Drive | Mobile, AL 36608 | 251.208.5200
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