KVLU celebrates 50 Years with nostalgic exhibit at Dishman Art Museum
"KVLU: Rewind…In Pictures," a pop-up exhibit at the Dishman Art Museum, is now open to the public until August 3, 2024. The exhibit, which held its opening reception on Friday, July 12, showcases archival photographs and memorabilia that highlight the early days of KVLU, long before the advent of computer automation, digital media, and internet streaming.
KVLU, known as The Voice of Lamar University, began broadcasting in 1974. Over the years, KVLU has developed into a station offering a diverse 24/7 schedule of commercial-free news, music, and local features, with a mission to educate, enlighten, and entertain its audience.
Station Manager Jason Miller explained the inspiration behind the exhibit, saying, “Being in our 50th anniversary year at KVLU, we decided that we wanted to do something to show off the history of the station. We were going through our archives and digitizing some actual photo prints, and while we were doing that, we decided why don’t we take these nice glossy, original photographs from the late 70s and 80s and do an exhibit with them.”
“So, we talked to Dennis Kiel at the Dishman Art Museum, and he offered us the upstairs gallery,” Miller said. “After that, we also decided to show some memorabilia. We gathered microphones, mugs, and program guides and we put those out for display too. All of a sudden, it turned into an entire exhibit.”
Production Director Victor Albaine emphasized the rarity of such an archive, saying, “There aren’t a lot of places that archive their materials. I’ve been around a bit at different radio stations in different states up north and around the country. A lot of them don’t really archive their history and keep it around, so this is just neat to see people go back down memory lane.” 
“You have an opportunity to see all the photos, all the technology that people used, and experience a bit of nostalgia,” Albaine said. “It’s pretty neat to see how everything started, and to see where we’re at now.”
The exhibit will remain on view on the second floor of the Dishman Art Museum through August 3, 2024.