NATIONAL GUITAR MUSEUM
TRAVELING EXHIBIT
The traveling exhibit will be a fit for The MAX with its own collection of famous and noteworthy guitars .
Famed Jazz Guitar inventor Les Paul helped Gibson create a solidbody guitar in the 1950s . A Gibson Les Paul guitar , like the one pictured here , was first used by Keith Richards .
Special to Meridian Life
A
traveling exhibition tracing the evolution and powerful influence of the guitar , with notable connections to the rich Mississippi arts story , is set to open at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience ( The MAX ) on Saturday , Feb . 10 .
“ America At The Crossroads : The GUITAR and A Changing Nation ” is developed by the New York-based National GUITAR Museum . The exhibit will run through May 11 at The MAX , located on Front Street in downtown Meridian .
“ The connection to Mississippi ’ s rich musical heritage made this traveling exhibit an obvious fit for The MAX ,” said Penny Kemp , The MAX ’ s new President and CEO . “ It recalls the strong regional appeal of the 2019 ‘ Imag ination Unlimited ’ special exhibit , celebrating Mississippi-native Muppet creator Jim Henson .”
The traveling exhibit and other special events at the museum are expected to attract strong interest among guitar and music enthusiasts from across the region .
The “ The GUITAR and A Changing Nation ” exhibit will feature 40 instruments , along with wall banners and videos , recalling the guitar ’ s role at important points in American history . Modern guitars and a Spanish vihuela from the 1500s , an early stringed instrument linked to the evolution of the guitar , are part of the collection .
The visiting exhibit “ traces the evolution of an easily transported and adaptable string instrument central to the Mississippi music story , especially to the development of the Delta blues ,” said Phillip Bolin , the museum ’ s exhibits registrar .
“ The ‘ crossroads ’ reference in the exhibit ’ s title allows us to give fresh attention to a popular legend – reaching back nearly a century – that brings the supernatural into play in accounts of one musician ’ s quest for greatness ,” he said .
As the story goes , a young Robert Johnson ,
36 • MERIDIAN LIFE