'Awkward' exhibit highlights painfully funny family moments

COLUMBUS, Ga. - It’s the season for awkward photos, from families in matching pajamas to kids screaming on Santa’s lap. And a current exhibit at The Columbus Museum collects some of the most awkward family photos ever, all displayed in period-appropriate frames for a truly hilarious trip down memory lane.

"Awkward Family Photos" is on view through Jan. 7, filling the temporary headquarters of The Columbus Museum with more than 200 painfully funny portraits. The traveling show was created by the team behind the popular website AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, which highlights those moments when the click of a camera captures the unexpected. Staffers at The Columbus Museum say the exhibit is a perfect one for the holidays, given its relatable theme of memorable family moments.

"We’re just so glad to see people coming in and laughing and reminiscing, and going, ‘Oh, this reminds me of this picture,’ or even just a story of something that happened in their own family," says Rebecca Bush, the museum’s curator of history and exhibitions manager.

Perhaps the least awkward aspect of the exhibit is the location; while The Columbus Museum undergoes a renovation, its temporary location is a 1920s home which has seen its fair share of flash bulbs.

"For many, many decades, it was Garrett’s Home of Photography," says Bush. "It was a very popular photography studio here in Columbus, where many families came to have portraits taken. I’m sure none of them were awkward!"

The temporary space is located at 1327 Wynnton Road in Columbus, and its current hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays (until 8 p.m. on Thursdays) and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free.