South Creates ‘Growing Up Down the Bay’ Exhibit

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Posted on May 21, 2024

Logan Gatlin

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As a part of the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology Project, the University of South Alabama’s spring 2024 undergraduate Museum Methods in Archaeology class created the exhibit “Growing Up Down the Bay,” focusing on a Mobile community.

The exhibit combines artifacts from the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology project and memories shared by community members for the “Down the Bay Oral History Project.” The class was taught by archaeologist Rachel Hines, public outreach coordinator for South’s Center for Archaeological Studies.

"We've had students involved at every level in these projects,” she said. “Students have conducted archaeological fieldwork, processed artifacts in our lab, conducted and transcribed oral histories, and now this group gets to share that work."

The exhibit, on display through Friday, May 31, at the Ben May Main Library at 701 Government St. in downtown Mobile, depicts what life was like for children growing up in the “Down the Bay” neighborhood, located south of Government Street, in the 1950s and 1960s.

“Working on this project for Rachel's class helped give me a better understanding of the uses of archaeology,” said Bex Shepan, a student curator. “Before, I thought it was just to keep a record of what once was, but now I see that archaeology and artifacts can be used to tell a story or paint a broader picture of life or experiences.”

The exhibit consists of six banners with information, photos and quotes from oral histories that include QR codes, which visitors can scan to hear the audio recordings of the memory. Multiple display cases contain around 75 artifacts found in the Down the Bay neighborhood during the excavations for the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology Project.

"When classroom learning is connected to a real-world outcome, it makes the work so much more meaningful,” Hines said. “I've been so impressed by the work the students did for this project. Not only did they create an engaging exhibit, but they highlighted the history of Down the Bay, a community whose story is often overlooked. Everyone understood the importance of sharing these stories and took that responsibility seriously." 

USA Student Exhibit Curators:

• Meadow Armstrong
• Gabe Berault
• Killian Day
• Joseph Deustch
• Hannah Durgin
• Anne Goodman
• Trinity Jenkins
• Anna Jones
• John Lawrence
• Nicole Lemon
• Eric Logan
• Bex Shepan

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