Page 57 - Smart Photography

Statue of the famed Black Warrior - on display in Tuscaloosa Museum of Art Snazzy Commerce
Approximately 25-km to the east
of Tuscaloosa, you would find the
only Mercedes-Benz manufacturing
facility located in North America. It
was established around the turn of
the century and boasts a production
capacity of 300,000 vehicles and
exports worth over a billion dollars!

While the plant is spread over a
massive area of around 1000-acre
and has multiple on-road and off-road
test tracks, its Visitors Centre gives a
glimpse into the history and evolution
of these iconic automobiles. Some
of the shiniest sets of wheels are on
display here.
The Best of American Art

As you drive back from this gigantic
facility, just on the outskirts of
Tuscaloosa lays another hidden
gem - The Tuscaloosa Museum
of Art. It is located in a building
whose architecture is unmistakably
Japanese. It displays around 1000
works of art.

Jack Warner gathered this collection
over many decades as investments
for Gulf States Paper - a company
that now forms a part of Westervelt
Company. The Westervelt Company
was asked and it graciously agreed to
share this collection for display. This
is considered to be one of the greatest
collections of American Art anywhere
in the United States.

Many of the works depict the battles
fought by the Native-Americans with
the Union army. Some display the
gruesome Native-Americans warrior
rituals like scalping their victim. A
life-sized statue of the Black Warrior
is also on display just outside the
museum building.
While I have talked at length about
the various facets of Tuscaloosa, I
have studiously avoided any reference
to the University of Alabama, it
tradition of excellence in sports, the
various museums it maintains, and
its remarkable campus, as that would
form the second part of this travel
story. I promise that will be equally Smart Photography
exciting! So, do stay tuned for the next February 2018
issue. |SP

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