UA Museums From Your Home

Starting on Friday, March 27, 2020, UA Museums will begin livestreaming educational content from the Facebook pages of the Alabama Museum of Natural History, The Gorgas House Museum, the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum, and Moundville Archaeological Park.

Due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus, the museums of the University of Alabama have had to close their doors, but that isn’t stopping them from providing educational outreach. They will have daily programing (Mondays through Fridays) at 10:00 AM Central that will include experts in various fields, offering Q&A time for those watching at home.

Since their audience is unable to visit the museums during this effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, UA Museums’ Executive Director, Dr. William Bomar, understands that people are looking for quality online content that is both educational and entertaining.

“While our four public museums are closed, we will be using a variety of platforms such as daily livestreams by scientists, historians, archaeologists, and naturalists from UA Museums. It is my hope that during this difficult time, our audiences across Alabama and beyond will take advantage of our educational resources and see our museums as a source of enrichment and comfort”, Dr. Bomar said.

The Livestream Schedule and Where to Watch:

• Mondays at 10 AM: Moundville Archaeological Park
  • Moundville Archaeological Park’s Facebook Page
• Tuesdays at 10 AM: History
  • The Gorgas House Museum’s Facebook Page
  • Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum’s Facebook Page
• Wednesdays at 10 AM: Archaeology
  • Office of Archaeological Research’s Facebook Page
• Thursdays at 10 AM: Collections or Museum-Based Research
  • Alabama Museum of Natural History’s Facebook Page
• Fridays at 10 AM: Nature and Natural Science
  • Alabama Museum of Natural History’s Facebook Page

Archived Facebook Livestreams:

The livestreams will be archived by Facebook and available for viewing even after the they have ended.

• iNaturalist Training with Dr. John Friel

Don’t Have a Facebook Account? No Problem!

All of our Facebook Livestreams will be uploaded to the UA Museums YouTube Channel and added to a Museums From Your Home playlist. Make sure to subscribe to the channel so you never miss out on a new video!

Additional Educational Content:

In addition to the introduction of Facebook livestreaming, UA Museums will be creating short video and social media content. This will include museum staff recording “Isolation Observations” of the nature they encounter in their own backyards and neighborhoods. The first of this series comes from Natural History Collection Manager, Mary Beth Prondzinski, as she takes morning walks during Quarantine and discusses apiaries, blueberries, and blackberries. Lindsey Gordon, Education Outreach Coordinator at Moundville Archaeological Park, will be sharing information about artifacts that can be found at Moundville. The Gorgas House Museum has also started a “Gorgas House Artifact Series”, which will be a series of social media posts sharing facts about artifacts that can be found inside The Gorgas House Museum.

UA Museums has other educational material for viewing and activity at home! Emmy-winning television program, Discovering Alabama, has free educational resources online including full episodes and Teacher Guides.

You can also download our free UA Museums #ColorOurCollections coloring book!