Remembering the Great War: Alabama and World War I

Remembering the Great War: Alabama and World War I is a traveling exhibition promoted by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The exhibition was designed by industrial design students under the supervision of Associate Professor Shu-Wen Tzeng.

This project introduces visitors to the stories of Alabama’s involvement and impact in World War I, and to the ways in which we remember those experiences today. Seventeen students worked together to research stories of Alabamians’ involvement in World War I, define the visual language/identity system, generate design concepts and construct a working prototype for this traveling exhibition. The end result is an engaging, effective and elegant exhibition design that brings to life the experience of the trenches in World War I.  The exhibition traveled to 23 cities across Alabama and is now part of the permanent collection at Mobile’s USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.

The exhibition won the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Leadership in History Award in 2018. This AASLH award, now in its 74th year, represents the most prestigious national recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.

Shu-Wen Tzeng is Associate Professor of Industrial Design at Auburn’s School of Industrial and Graphic Design.