Ft. Benning Commander to attend opening reception of centennial exhibition

By Charnae Ware | May 25, 2018 at 2:57 PM EDT - Updated August 14 at 2:00 AM

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM)- The Columbus Museum will be welcoming Major General Gary M Brito, commanding general of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, for the opening reception of The Museum's exhibition celebrating the post's 100'th year.

Director of the museum, Marianne Ritcher says, "Fort Benning at 100 commemorates the post's centennial year by spotlighting its history, including the special relationship between Fort Benning and our community."

The Fort Benning at 100 reception will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 31 at the Museum on Wynnton Road. The event is free and open to the public. A military-related exhibition showcasing art made in the trenches by soldiers and civilians called From Swords to Plowshares: Metal Trench Art from World War I will be on display.

Rebecca Bush, the curator of history explained, Fort Benning at 100 spotlights history with artifacts and related objects from The Museum's permanent collection, many of which have only been acquired in the past few years.

“That means that many of these objects have not been seen by the public before,” Bush added. “In the past 100 years, Fort Benning has not only experienced its own rich history, but has been a key player in the continued development of Columbus and Phenix City. This exhibition presents an excellent opportunity to learn about that relationship between soldiers and civilians – to think about where we’ve been and where we might go from here.”

The Columbus Museum's mission to bring art and history to life for the communities of the Chattahoochee Valley. For more information about The Columbus Museum, and other events click here.