Featured Exhibit
The Face of Cinema: Evolution of Movie Posters
February 20 to August 27, 2022
Visitors will see a selection of over 100 posters spanning 120 years. These powerful visual elements have a significant role in promoting the motion picture industry.
The work of three well-known poster designers display extraordinary artistic talents of Saul Bass, William Gold and Drew Struzan. Among their works displayed are posters for Vertigo, Casa Blanca and E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
The exhibition gives special attention to Titanic. A photo from 1914 shows the silent film Titanic being shown at the Opera House in Thurber (1880s – 1930s), Texas, located across the Interstate 20 Highway from the Gordon Museum. The original Titanic film was created in May 1912 and released only a month after the tragedy. This story has been the subject of 17 theatrically released cinema dramas, 24 documentaries and 26 television episodes.
Other areas of the exhibit include Colors and Trends, Iconic Images, Remakes, and Kids in old Hollywood. Photos of theaters displaying posters and banners from the early 20th century are displayed courtesy of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Visitors will enjoy adding to the Memorable Movie Quote wall, playing the Movie Trivia Quiz, spinning stroboscopes and watching a slide show with poster images of all films that have received a best picture Oscar awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Permanent Gallery Exhibits
Coal Mine
Diorama of a coal mine shows how miners had to work lying on their side in a very small space.
Mercantile Store
The Mercantile Store displays items that were available for sale in Thurber.
Concord Stagecoach
A special “Concord” passenger stagecoach was used between Thurber and Mingus, Texas.
Opera House
The Opera House serves as the museum’s theater showing a 20-minute video featuring actual motion pictures from the coal mining town. This exhibit can be seen featuring 1 of 6 interactive touchscreen displays that are place throughout the museum.