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Warner Transportation Museum

Swimming Together – An Exhibit in Collaboration with Flow Tuscaloosa

The Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum is excited and proud to collaborate with Flow Tuscaloosa: an initiative to highlight the successful restoration of Hurricane Creek as inspiration to protect the resources of the Black Warrior River watershed and bring attention to environmental justice efforts in West Alabama.  It’s organized through the Selvage Collective and led locally by Jamey Grimes (UA, Art) and Dr. Julia Brock (UA, History).

We have been partnered with Atlanta-based artist Hannah Palmer, who will be showcasing her research and observations on swimming pools.  Palmer works as an urban designer in Atlanta and is interested in the intersection of southern stories and urban landscapes.  Since the original purpose of the historic Queen City Pool and Bath house was a pool before it became the Transportation Museum, this partnership couldn’t be more perfect.

Exhibit dates: April 19 – August 27

Our newest exhibit opens April 19th and is titled Swimming Together.  The exhibit will showcase how local history aligned with national trends, challenge myths about integration and public pools, and encourage community response about swimming with engagement boards.  The exhibit will also include an interactive component of Swimming Together by The Fashion Archive at UA, as well as swim artifacts from the community and The University of Alabama Museums’ Department of Research and Collections. We want to take this opportunity to discuss the original history of the building as we work to educate the community at large.  All of Tuscaloosa is welcome to return to the bath house and learn about the history of swimming in our area.

splash! 100 Years of Women’s Swimsuits / 1920s-2020s

splash! 100 Years of Women’s Swimsuits / 1920s-2020s is an interactive component of Swimming Together created by The Fashion Archive (Department of Clothing, Textiles & Interior Design / College of Human Environmental Sciences at The University of Alabama), in partnership with Flow Tuscaloosa, on view at the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum until August 27, 2022.

Special Event: An Evening at the Pool: Saturday, May 21 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm.

An Evening at the Pool will provide an after-hours opportunity to visit the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum to see the exhibit, to meet the design team, and to see the old Queen City pool illuminated with special lighting effects designed by Lyndell McDonald (Assistant Professor and Technical Supervisor in the Department of Theatre & Dance at The University of Alabama).  It will be the culminating location of the Flow Tuscaloosa Lantern Parade. The event is FREE and open to the public. Food trucks will be present onsite. We invite everyone back to the old pool to remember past times and create new memories!

If a strong chance of severe weather is predicted at event time, we will cancel the event 24 hours in advance. Please check our Facebook page and websites for updates on Friday, May 20th.

Hours

The Transportation Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10:00 – 4:30.

Location

Street Address: 1901 Jack Warner Parkway, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Check out our Directions page for parking info and a map.

Admission

Free!

Additional Resources:

Map of Swimming Locations in the Tuscaloosa area:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1oY1O96QK_X2f8Iry-INyBGBbi68M-JzR&ll=33.20283816870715%2C-87.37096934999998&z=11

Swimming Together Reading List