The O. Winston Link Museum will mark its 10th anniversary with a weekend of events on Jan. 24-25, 2014, featuring free admission, model railroad displays, children’s activities, photo workshops, costumed re-enactors and much more.
The “Link @ 10” event celebrates a pioneer in railroad photography widely considered the master of juxtaposition between steam railroading and rural culture – and the museum’s decade-long contributions to a revitalized downtown Roanoke and growing arts and cultural scene.
“The anniversary and activities to celebrate the milestone provide an opportunity to note the museum’s achievements over the past decade, its place in the role of America’s museums and how Link’s work remains timeless even in the age of instant-gratification photography,” said museum director Mike McNeil. “The allure of the museum extends far beyond the spirit of camaraderie felt by lovers of old steam locomotives. The Link is not only devoted to the historic photography of O. Winston Link, but to all fine photography that tells a story of our heritage and our social ethos, connecting us with our past and capturing the essence of who we are today.”
On Jan. 25, the museum will host a free celebration for the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the former Norfolk & Western Passenger Station featuring the steam Locomotive N&W 1218. This all-day celebration will feature model train displays, photographic workshops, tours of Norfolk Southern facilities, educational activities and more. That evening, the Link will be honoring its donors, supporters and patrons at a private gala event with people who knew Link and worked with him.
Two additional special exhibits are planned – a collection of lithographs and original sketches from famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy and a pop-up exhibit about the many changes at the link over its first decade.
The museum’s ever-expanding and revolving exhibits feature the works of many regional, national and internationally renowned photographers and provide further opportunities for dialogue on the art and media of photography, particularly in this age of smart-phone snapshots.
A day earlier, on Jan. 24, the Link Museum will unveil an exciting collection of work from photographer Ian Ruhter, a wet-plate photographer who utilizes his one-of-kind “camera truck,” a delivery van retrofitted into a single-shot camera to create massive-scale images on aluminum sheets. The Link Museum will be the first museum to host his beautiful work. The installation will be the first-ever showing of Ruhter’s unprecedented project to document the 150th anniversary of The Yosemite Grant, which set the precedent for our country’s first national park.
The anniversary event also celebrates the many improvements to the museum over the decade to stay relevant to a new generation of museum-goers. These have included:
- The Heritage Gallery, a place to stop and reflect on the community life of the railroad.
- Kulp Trackside Gallery.
- Link’s darkroom equipment.
- The Raymond Loewy Gallery, which chronicles the life and career of industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who redesigned the Roanoke Norfolk & Western passenger station in the late 1940s – today’s home for the museum.
- Link’s former caboose.
- Scioto Gallery, which displays published works relating to Link and includes listening and viewing stations.
- Multiple models in lobby.
Located in downtown Roanoke, the museum is situated in a restored Norfolk & Western Railway passenger train station and opened in January 2004. It currently displays hundreds of photographic prints and has several interactive displays including audio that provide information on Link’s photographic subjects.
For more information, please visit www.linkmuseum.org.
