College Football Hall of Fame hosts 'Battle of the Bands' exhibit

ATLANTA - In just two days, the Howard Bisons will take on the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at the 2026 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff here in Atlanta.

And if watching (and hearing!) Howard’s "Showtime" Marching Band and Alabama A&M’s Marching Maroon & White inspires you to learn more about the tradition of HBCU marching bands, you’ll want to make plans to visit downtown’s Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame.

Starting Thursday, the College Football Hall of Fame is hosting the "Keith Duncan: Battle of the Bands" exhibition, which features more than 40 mixed-media paintings depicting Southern HBCU bands and their drum majors. The exhibit's opening is timed to the launch of the HBCU season, which happens Saturday with the Bison/Bulldogs game at Center Park Stadium (the game will be televised nationally).  The schools’ bands are scheduled to play during the zero quarter, at halftime, and in the fifth quarter. 

"Battle of the Bands" includes 45 works inspired by 15 HBCU marching bands, including large-scale fabric paintings and works on paper. It will remain on view in the Hall for a limited time, and is included with the price of admission.

The Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame is located at 250 Marietta Street Northwest in downtown Atlanta, and is typically open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday through Mondays. Tickets are $38 for adults and $27 for young people ages 3 to 12. For more information on visiting, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our exclusive first look at "Battle of the Bands."

 

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