Join us for the opening program of the New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music exhibit in Lena, Illinois.
The New Harmonies exhibition, provided by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street Program and the Illinois Humanities Council, examines the on-going cultural process that has made America the birthplace of more music than any place on earth. The exhibition provides a fascinating, inspiring, and toe-tapping listen to the American story of multi-cultural exchange and offers communities an opportunity to celebrate their music traditions as they come to understand the origins of various roots music genres including; blues, country and western, gospel, jazz and folk.
The Opening Ceremony will feature Chris Vallillo, folk musician and Illinois State Scholar for this project and is free and open to the public.
A private viewing of the exhibition will take place for donors and special guests between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM.
The opening performance will begin at 6:30 PM at the Lena Area Historical Museum at 427 W Grove, Lena, Illinois. The exhibition will then stay open for public viewing until 8:30 PM.
New Harmonies will be on display in Lena between September 4th and October 17th.
Open hours are: Thursday and Friday, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5:00 PM. Admission is $3.00 for adults; $1.00 for ages 5-12; free children under 5.
For more information, please contact the Lena Area Historical Museum at 815.291.7944.
More on New Harmonies
The New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music exhibit is a cultural history of America’s Musical Landscape. It’s the story of a diverse mix of people interacting with the New World, a world where cultures and customs met, mixed, and mingled to create new sounds. The distinct cultural identities of all these peoples are carried in song – both sacred and secular – and the music that emerges is known by names like blues, country, western, folk, and gospel.
Exhibit Hours: Thursday and Friday, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5:00 PM.
Admission is $3.00 for adults; $1.00 for ages 5-12; free children under 5.
For more information, please contact the Lena Area Historical Museum at 815.291.7944.