Magnificent Magnavox
"Magnificent Magnavox" exhibit featured at Reece Museum
JOHNSON CITY (Oct. 1) – East Tennessee State University’s Reece Museum will host an exhibit titled “Magnificent Magnavox,” which opens today and continues through Tuesday, Dec. 15.
An opening reception for “Magnificent Magnavox” will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 5-7 p.m. in the Reece Museum. The event is free and open to the public.
The exhibit recognizes the history of Magnavox, the consumer electronics company which opened its first southern plant in Greeneville in 1947. Magnavox also had a cabinet plant in Johnson City from 1962 to 1979. Featuring radios, record players, televisions, advertising, memorabilia, and text panels, the exhibit is gathered from the collection of the Magnavox Historical Preservation Association (MHPA) and other sources.
The exhibit highlights the styles, design and craftsmanship that made Magnavox one of the premier manufacturers in the country. The units reflect the changing lifestyle and consumer tastes from the 1940s through the 1990s. Today, electronics are not thought to reflect individuality—think of rows of nondescript, black flat-screens in stores. However, in the last half of the 20th century, consumers did want their individuality reflected and Magnavox knew it, producing units in French, Mediterranean, Early American, Classic, Asian and contemporary styles.
The exhibit also explores the roots of Magnavox, which developed the first loudspeaker or “sound reproducer.” Additional features include the first single-dial radio made in 1924 in Oakland, California, by Magnavox; the company’s first television produced in 1948 (the cabinet of which was made in Greeneville); and the complete “Spirit of ’76” Collection (produced for the American Bicentennial). A full-color booklet will be available for purchase as part of the exhibit.
According to George Collins, curator of “Magnificent Magnavox,” “The units and the related advertising reflect a different time in America, as well as the craftsmanship of the people of Northeast Tennessee who produced many of the pieces. This exhibit is the largest we have mounted. The Magnavox Historical Preservation Association deeply appreciates the support of the Reece Museum and the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services in bringing this exhibit to Northeast Tennessee.”
Three Magnavox programming presentations will be held at the museum throughout the duration of the exhibit. They include: “Selling the South: Greene County, Magnavox and the Roots of Post-World War II Industrialization” by Dr. Tom Lee, ETSU associate professor in the Department of History, on Thursday, Oct. 8, from noon-1 p.m.; “The Evolution of Style and Design in Home Entertainment” by Dr. Kristi Julian, ETSU assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology, Surveying and Digital Media, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from noon-1 p.m.; and “The History of Magnavox and the Electronics Revolution” by Collins and Bob Bausch and of the MHPA on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5-7 p.m. All lectures are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served as part of each lecture.
The MHPA was formed in 2010 and is based in Greeneville. Its mission is to collect and preserve the history and artifacts of Magnavox and provide educational opportunities. Learn more about the association by visiting www.magnavoxhistory.com.
The Reece Museum, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is a unit of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at ETSU. Centrally located on campus at 363 Stout Drive, the museum’s regular hours are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Three parking spaces located directly in front of the museum are designated specifically for visitors to the Reece Museum and the Archives of Appalachia.
For more information about the museum, call 423-439-4392 or visit www.etsu.edu/cass/reece. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.