The Alabama Humanities Alliance, or AHA, this week announced the following lineup of events and art exhibitions as part of its “six-pack of humanities happenings.”
No. 1: Next month, Americans comes to Alabama.
Developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Americans is “a fascinating and thought-provoking exploration” of how deeply intertwined Native Americans are with the history, popular culture and identity of the United States.
“This exhibit feels tailor-made for a state like ours, where even our name, Alabama, derives from a Native nation. Here, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians is a sovereign nation within the state; Alabama recognizes a number of other tribes whose members live here today; and places such as Moundville, Oakville, and the Florence Mound remind us that indigenous history here is deep, complex, and ongoing,” the alliance said in a press release.
The public will be able to explore Americans beginning with opening programs in Atmore on September 14-15. The exhibit will eventually travel to Wetumpka, Florence, Scottsboro and Foley through June 2027. These communities will complement the national exhibit with local stories told through art, history and public presentations.
No. 2: Tickets are now on sale for a special program honoring four Alabama musicians who have helped shape American music: Emmylou Harris, Will Kimbrough, Randy Owen and Fred Wesley.
The event is part of AHA’s 2026 Alabama Colloquium series and will take place October 19 at Birmingham’s Lyric Theatre. AHA moderator Burgin Mathews will engage the four musicians in an onstage conversation.
“And many thanks to our honorees for sharing some of their songs with us all, too!” AHA said.
Tickets are available here.
No. 3: As another addition to AHA’s 2026 Alabama Colloquium series, the alliance will honor Alabamians from the realms of history, civics, literature and law on October 12.
“Considering America at 250” will bring together three new Alabama Humanities Fellows: attorney Bill Baxley, historian Kathryn Braund and poet Ashley M. Jones. The organization will also celebrate the Alabama USA Semiquincentennial Commission as AHA’s 2026 Champion of the Humanities and recognize folklorist Joyce Cauthen as this year’s Greenhaw Service to the Humanities award recipient.
No. 4: Many Voices, One Nation began as a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. This year, for America’s 250th anniversary, AHA helped secure a pair of “starter kits” to create local versions of the exhibit.
Now open, the exhibits connect Alabama stories to America’s ongoing history. Specifically, they highlight the people, places and events that have shaped life in Dale and Washington counties—AHA’s two host partners for Many Voices, One Nation.
Those interested can use this link to keep up to date as the exhibits tour the Wiregrass and southwest Alabama. They can currently be found at the Troy University Library and St. Stephens Historical Park.
No. 5: Throughout 2026, AHA’s Mini Grant program has prioritized funding public projects that explore America’s and Alabama’s founding history and principles.
One of those events is the Lawrence County Chautauqua, which will take place August 20-22 in Moulton.
The “living history” experience will feature actors portraying the lives and legacies of key figures from Alabama’s past who have shaped the state, including George Washington Carver, Rosa Parks and Wernher von Braun. The series will feature food, music and history under the big top each night.
No. 6: AHA’s Major Grants are back, offering up to $15,000 for eligible projects that bring Alabamians together “to explore what makes us human—our history, literature, languages, art, religion, philosophy, and more.”
Applications for fall Major Grants are now open, with a final deadline of October 1. AHA will also offer a Major Grants round this winter, with a deadline of February 1, 2027. Both rounds are intended to help applicants plan their 2027 public programming.
AHA’s Major Grants funding can support traveling exhibitions, oral history projects, lectures and public workshop series, conferences and symposia, cultural and literary festivals, documentary films and more. Competitive applications share three essential elements: public participation, strong humanities content and the direct involvement of humanities scholars.
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to closely read AHA’s new grant guidelines. Those interested can also talk through proposals with AHA’s grants director.
