News Category: Museum

I Have a Voice:
Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage
Now Open
Special Exhibit, Curator Talk at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Bristol, Tenn./Va. (February 14, 2019) – The Birthplace of Country Music Museum explores the vast musical influences of African American musicians from across the Volunteer State with a new special exhibit, I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage, open now through April 30, 2019.

“The story of the 1927 Bristol Sessions told in our museum is enhanced by exploring the wider context of music history, and special exhibits and related programming are a great opportunity to highlight that context,” says museum Head Curator Rene Rodgers. “We are excited to have the Tennessee State Museum‘s I Have a Voice exhibit at the museum, giving our visitors a chance to dig deep into the influences and impact of African American musicians within a variety of genres and strands, many of which can be felt in the music of our region.”

I Have a Voice gives a snapshot of African American Tennesseans’ important contribution to American music, including spirituals, blues, ragtime, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music. In turn, their music has influenced and enriched music around the world. From the early blues legends of W. C. Handy and Bessie Smith to the soul hits of STAX Records in Memphis, visitors can learn about various performers, getting the chance to hear the voices and the stories of many of the African American musicians from Tennessee who made their mark on American music and beyond.

As companion programming to this exhibit, Tennessee State Museum curator Rob DeHart will be at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. to explore some of the outstanding artifacts related to Tennessee’s wide-ranging musical heritage. From 19th-century parlor music to bluegrass and blues, come hear the fascinating stories that these objects have to tell! Attendees to this curator talk will also have the opportunity to explore the exhibit before and after DeHart’s talk. This program is free and open to the public; due to limited seating, please reserve your spot online through the Event’s page.

“We are so pleased to be partnering with the Tennessee State Museum to give attendees to this talk the chance to explore the varied musical influences, achievements, and history found in the state of Tennessee –  and it’s a great way to make the connection between objects and the stories they tell,” says Rodgers. “Whatever your musical taste, there’s probably a story for you!”

Rob DeHart is a curator at the Tennessee State Museum, where he focuses on cultural history and science and technology with a special emphasis on the Antebellum South. A graduate of the public history master’s program at Middle Tennessee State University, he worked in collections and programming at various small history museums before arriving at the State Museum in 2010. His exhibitions have won regional and national awards, and he currently serves as a peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Rob’s musical background includes playing double-bass as an extra with the Nashville Symphony and playing guitar with a swing band on Printer’s Alley.

I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage, on display in the museum’s Learning Center, has been created and is being traveled by the Tennessee State Museum.

Reading Appalachia: Voices From Children’s Literature Opens at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Special Exhibit Open Through June 30

Bristol, Tenn./Va. (February 1, 2019) – Take a walk through your favorite Appalachian storybooks with Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature, a special exhibit now open at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum through June 30, 2019.

Sporting life-size characters from Appalachian children’s books, this exhibit looks at the seminal titles from the late 1800s through the modern story of Appalachia – you’ll feel like you’re walking through the pages of a storybook. Children can stand eye-to-eye with characters from Journey Cake Ho, A Mountain Rose, When Otter Tricked the Rabbit, When I Was Young, and others.

“We are excited to be sharing Reading Appalachia with our community,” says the museum’s Head Curator Rene Rodgers. “It’s a wonderful exhibit to experience with your family or student groups, and with its focus on childhood favorites and timeless stories, it will be a nostalgic treat for anyone who loves books and reading.”

The exhibit also includes representative children’s toys from the area, and the panels provide a host of discussion topics and hands-on activities for families, children and kids of all ages. Children are encouraged to try on masks of storybook characters and find themselves in a story. They can create their own story of a childhood set in Appalachia and hear the voice of old-time storyteller Ray Hicks along with some of their favorite authors and illustrators. Each panel includes an interpretation of the text from a child’s perspective. Several of the books featured in the exhibit will be available for reading in the exhibit’s “Story Corner.”

All are invited to walk into the pages of a story of childhood in Appalachia!

Reading Appalachia was organized by the East Tennessee Historical Society and the Knox County Public Library; it is made possible through the generous support of Clayton Homes, the Jane L. Pettway Foundation, Friends of the Knox County Public Library, and the University of Tennessee’s Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature.

The exhibit will be on display in the museum’s Special Exhibits Gallery from February 1 to June 30, 2019. It will be complemented by a variety of engaging public programs such as a literacy program for toddlers, poetry and journaling events, and much more! It will also serve as a wonderful educational resource for school groups and educators.

Community Jam, Square Dancing Jan. 19

Bristol, Tenn./Va. (January 7, 2019) – It’s audience participation time at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, so grab your partner—or an instrument—and head to Historic Downtown Bristol on Saturday, January 19 for two fun events that will put smiles on your faces and get your toes-a-tappin’! Both events are for all ages and skill levels and cost nothing but your time—and it’s time well spent!

Musicians are invited to meet up every third Saturday of the month from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Learning Center at the museum for a full-on Community Jam session. It’s an opportunity to hone your skills and network with other musicians in the region, and maybe learn some new tunes! Members of the community who just want to be there as spectators are also welcome to attend. The next jam session lands on January 19.

“We want to stress that Community Jams are for everyone, no matter what your skill level or age may be,” said Dr. Rene Rodgers, Head Curator at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. “For instance, students from our Pick Along Summer Camp classes have been attending, and it’s a wonderful way for them to learn from more experienced musicians in a performance setting. We’d like to encourage more young and budding musicians to take part.”

Later that evening, the museum will host an old-fashioned Square Dance in the Special Exhibits Gallery. The Square Dance is from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and will be led by expert caller Tyler Hughes. The music will be lively, and the activity itself may replace your workout for the day!

“We held a Square Dance with Tyler last year at the museum when we were between special exhibits,” Rodgers adds. “It was so much fun that participants have been asking when we would host another. This is an event that members of your whole family can enjoy – and a great way to make wonderful memories together!”

Just like the Community Jam, the Square Dance doesn’t require any previous experience, nor does it require a partner. Participants are asked to wear comfortable, sturdy dancing shoes – no heels, please!

Though both events are free and open to all ages and skill levels, due to limited space, anyone wishing to attend the Square Dance should RSVP through the Events page.

Community Jam, Square Dance, and More!

Bristol, Tenn./Va. (January 4, 2019) – The New Year is shaping up to be an exciting one for theBirthplace of Country Music (BCM), parent nonprofit organization of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, and WBCM Radio Bristol. Located in Historic Downtown Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee, BCM famously pays homage to the seminal 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings through each of its divisions and with exciting educational and community events year-round.

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is in its final days of For All The World To See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights, a nationally touring exhibition from NEH on the Road. For All The World To See examines the role that visual culture played in shaping and transforming the struggle for racial equality in America from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s through a compelling assortment of photographs, television clips, art posters, and historic artifacts. It also traces how images and media disseminated to the American public transformed the modern Civil Rights movement and jolted Americans, both black and white, out of a state of denial or complacency. The museum will be open on Monday, January 7 to give visitors one last opportunity to take in this evocative special exhibit on its final day.

Note that content of For All the World to See addresses a wide range of issues and includes some images that may be too sensitive for very young children.

On January 8 the Arts Alliance Mountain Empire brings its speaker series to the Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for Side Effects May Include…, a funny and poignant one-man play starring Nick Koesters. The play examines one family’s struggles with Parkinson’s Disease. The show is free and open to the public, but not appropriate for children. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. and donations will be accepted to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Radio Bristol’s popular Farm and Fun Time variety show returns to the museum January 10 for the special program “A Celebration of Appalachian Balladry,” highlighting music and artists who performed on the album Big Bend Killing. Amythyst Kiah, Elizabeth LaPrelle, John Lilly, the ETSU Old Time Ramblers, and house band Bill and the Belles will perform. Farm and Fun Time is nearly sold out, but you don’t have to miss a note if you don’t have a ticket! The show will air on thestation’s Facebook Live at 7:00 p.m. EST. Viewers are encouraged to join the live chat and let everyone know where they are watching from!

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum will host two exciting community events on Saturday, January 19 that also require audience participation: the monthly Community Jam at 2:00 p.m. EST and a Square Dance at 7:00 p.m. EST! Both events are free and open to all ages and skill levels, but the museum asks for participants in the Square Dance to reserve a spot online as space is limited.

Looking ahead to February, two special exhibits will open at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature will open on February 1; the exhibit features life-size characters from Appalachian children’s books and explores a range of themes in literature. On February 14 I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage will also take residence; this special exhibit takes a look at the Volunteer State’s influential hit makers from a wide range of genres.

In August of this year, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, will celebrate its fifth year of operation – 92 years after the 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings created what many now refer to as the “big bang” of country music. The award-winning museum tells the fascinating story of the Sessions’ vast influence though a number of engaging film experiences, interactive exhibits, and so much more. Look for events surrounding the anniversary in the months to come!

For a complete list of events and a comprehensive look at everything the Birthplace of Country Music has to offer, click here.

New Special Exhibit Highlights
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion “Through Your Eyes”

Through October 21 at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

A new special exhibit at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum captures moments at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival with photographs taken by fans and festivalgoers. Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Through Your Eyes is a juried exhibit filled with images that show the many sides of the festival.

“This exhibit is truly special because it came out of the creativity and passion of our music-loving community,” said Head Curator René Rodgers. “It has given us the chance to see the festival through the eyes of the people who come to Bristol Rhythm, highlighting their experiences and all that they love about this event. The exhibit is a great way to celebrate the festival and the people who make it into a true ‘reunion’ every year.”

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, the annual event that celebrates Bristol’s unique history as the birthplace of country music and home of the legendary 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings, had its beginnings in 2001 with just a few thousand people in attendance. Today the festival has grown to encompass all of Historic Downtown Bristol with more than 45,000 festivalgoers, 20 stages, and more than 100 acts of live music.

The fans and festivalgoers are the people who truly make Bristol Rhythm special, and this juried exhibit features a unique view of the event through the lenses of their cameras. Based on submissions from a community call-out, dozens of photographs were chosen by three professional photographers and brought together into this very special exhibit. The museum also supplemented the exhibit with around a dozen internal images in order to highlight a few of the years and activities not covered by the community photographers.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Through Your Eyes highlights images of musicians, street buskers, festival crowds, and more. Bristol Rhythm will be held September 21-23, 2018, so visitors will be able to stop in and see the special exhibit during the festival. The special exhibit will be on display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum through October 21, 2018.

Bristol, VA (May 3, 2018) — Calling all musicians! The Birthplace of Country Music Museum will begin hosting a monthly gathering of local musicians for a community jam session starting on Saturday, May 19, 2018. The community jams are open to all ages and all skill levels.

“We are excited to be offering regular community jams at the museum,” says Head Curator René Rodgers. “We hope that inviting the local music community to be part of our museum programming will foster greater engagement between the museum and this audience and give local musicians a wonderful space for sharing their music with each other. These live jams will also offer our museum visitors a fun experience, either as listeners or pickers!”

The jam events have been organized to provide a space for local musicians to gather and pick, collaborate, share their experiences, and—most importantly—to have fun! 

Jams will be scheduled for the third Saturday of each month from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., serving as a great warm-up for Saturday night gigs. Musicians are asked to bring their own acoustic instruments. The sessions will be held in the Learning Center at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. 

Click here for more BCM events.