Reception welcomes lawmakers to exhibit

Armand DeKeyser, Sen. Orr, Michon Trent and Steve Murray

As part of the Montgomery debut of Making Alabama. A Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit presented by Alabama Humanities Foundation, in the capitol, AHF hosted a reception to give legislators a special viewing.

The Alabama Legislature helped in a significant way to fund the exhibit and on March 14, the exhibit was featured in a special legislative reception, where Alabama lawmakers and key stakeholders had high praise for the finished product.

AHF Board Chair Michon Trent credited former board chairs Judge John Rochester, Guin Robinson and Lynne Berry Vallely with the “vision” of the traveling exhibit, calling it their “brainchild. It’s amazing,” she said.

Michon Trent interviewed by Montgomery TV station.

Alabama Sen. Arthur Orr echoed her remarks, noting that the legislative support for the exhibit was all done with “today in mind. It was a line item (in the budget), and the payoff is today.”

“We express our thanks to the legislature,” said Steve Murray, executive director of Alabama Department of Archives and History. “We are grateful to the leadership who saw the benefit of this and wanted to do it the right way for the state of Alabama.”

Describing Alabama as a state of storytellers, AHF Executive Director Armand DeKeyser said the exhibit is an ideal vehicle to share those stories. The real benefit will be in small towns and rural areas all across the state who will “see the value of what we do. This is Alabama’s story, and we think it’s a great story to tell. AHF is grateful to be a part of it.”

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