The original entrance portico of University Hospital, circa 1960. Photograph by Ken Ives Studio. UAB Archives. Photographs that present an unforgettably rich visual history of the University of Alabama at Birmingham will be on display Oct. 21-Dec. 14, at UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts.
In honor of UAB’s 50th anniversary, “Unfolding UAB: 50 Years of Photography from the UAB Archives” features more than 80 photographs pulled from the UAB Archives and Digital Image Gallery. The exhibition pictographically traces the history of UAB not just as an institution, but as a community that unfolded within the fabric of Birmingham, forging and building its own unique identity. The show is co-curated by AEIVA Collections, Exhibitions and Programs Coordinator Christina McClellan and UAB Assistant Director of Historical Collections and Archivist Tim Pennycuff.
An opening reception for “Unfolding UAB” will be at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, in UAB’s AEIVA, 1221 10th Ave. South. The reception and the exhibition are free and open to the public. Call 205-975-6436 for more information.
On June 16, 1969, Gov. Albert Brewer and members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama held a press conference in Montgomery to announce the creation of a new three-campus University of Alabama System. That September saw the start of the first academic year for the newly autonomous University of Alabama at Birmingham. Originating as an extension program for the University of Alabama during the Great Depression and adding the medical campus in 1945, the history of UAB is multilayered and complicated, but firmly grounded in the landscape of 20th century Birmingham.
AEIVA is open to the public 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 12-6 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sundays and holidays. For more information, visit uab.edu/uabarts.