‘Women of the Tide’ Exhibit Celebrates 125 Years of UA Women

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Museums will showcase the contributions and achievements women have made at the Capstone through “Women of the Tide: 125 Years of Women at The University of Alabama,” an exhibit that opens June 29 at the Gorgas House Museum on the UA campus.

The exhibit will highlight numerous individuals and organizations that have left a lasting legacy at the University. Noteworthy individuals include Julia Tutwiler, who lobbied the UA Board of Trustees to admit the institution’s first female students in 1893, and Dr. Judy Bonner, UA’s first female president.

“The Women of the Tide exhibit is a fascinating collection of artifacts depicting the significance of women throughout the 125 years that they have attended The University of Alabama,” said Elizabeth McGiffert, member of the exhibit advisory committee. “This exhibit represents inclusion, progress and hope for the future.”

The exhibit will feature several themes, including women in the military, sports, social activities and celebrities, among others, with each theme having a multitude of artifacts. Artifacts include the first diploma awarded to a female student, athletic memorabilia from various women’s sports and items from Bonner and Karen Brooks, the first female president pro tempore of the UA Board of Trustees.

One section of the exhibit will focus on the efforts of Autherine Lucy Foster and Vivian Malone Jones to integrate the University. Foster and Jones paved the way for acceptance and equality, and the diverse and modern campus of today.

UA’s department of clothing, textiles and interior design will provide a fashion archive for the exhibit. The pieces, some of which date back to the 1930s, will spotlight fashions worn by women students over the years, including Mary Harmon Black Bryant, wife of legendary UA football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

The exhibit is part of UA’s 125 Years of Women celebration. Throughout the year, the University will honor women on campus through awareness, education, service and special events.

“We want the campus community to understand that this is a milestone year,” said Dr. Mary Lee Caldwell, chair of the 125 Years of Women organizing committee. “Our goal is to educate everyone about roles women played in shaping UA’s history while imaging all of the possibilities for the future.”

The exhibit will run through Sept. 28 at the Gorgas House Museum, located at 810 Capstone Drive. The museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. General admission for the public is $2, but free to UA students, faculty, staff and members of the National Alumni Association. For information on parking or additional questions, call Angi Jones at 205-348-7551. You can follow UA Museums on Facebook and Instagram.