Museum Exhibitions

On-Property Exhibits

Step inside the story. Inside the Museum galleries, exhibitions featuring priceless artifacts—instruments, stage wear, one-of-a-kind recordings, films, and more—offer intimate insights into the people who have shaped country music’s story, from the genre’s pre-commercial roots to today.

American Currents:

State of the Music

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s annual exhibition American Currents: State of the Music offers a broad look at country music and its place in American culture over the past year. The latest installment, open now through February 2025, features music and moments from cozy clubs to arena rafters.

An American Masterwork:

Thomas Hart Benton’s "Sources of Country Music" at 50

An American Masterwork: Thomas Hart Benton’s “Sources of Country Music” at 50 explores Benton’s process in creating his final painting, which was commissioned by the Museum in 1973. The exhibit includes sketches, drawings, lithographs, photographs, and a three-dimensional model of the painting, along with a 1975 video of Benton speaking about the mural.

Eric Church:

Country Heart, Restless Soul

Eric Church: Country Heart, Restless Soul, presented by Gibson, is now open. This new exhibit traces Church’s life and career—from his North Carolina roots and experience as a Nashville songwriter to his place as one of country music’s revered rule breakers.

Patty Loveless:

No Trouble with the Truth

Patty Loveless: No Trouble with the Truth explores the influential career and enduring music of Patty Loveless. From staking out a distinctive place in country music beginning in the 1980s to her talent for finding memorable material and her embrace of traditional influences, this exhibit illustrates Loveless’s role in the genre through personal and career artifacts, photos, interviews, and more.

Dick Curless:

Hard Traveling Man from Maine

Known for his expressive baritone voice and hard-traveled authenticity, Dick Curless was one of the most versatile and powerfully eloquent singers of his time. Dick Curless: Hard Traveling Man from Maine explores the singer’s life and career, from his rural Northeast upbringing and popular truck-driving songs of the ’60s-’70s, to his critically acclaimed 1995 album, Traveling Through.

Western Edge:

The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock

Western Edge examines the close-knit communities of Los Angeles-based singers, songwriters and musicians who, from the 1960s through the 1980s, embraced country music, frequented local nightclubs, and created and shaped the musical fusion known as “country-rock” – ultimately making an indelible and lasting impact on popular music.

Sing Me Back Home:

Folk Roots to the Present

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s core, permanent exhibition tells the story of country music from its pre-commercial roots in the nineteenth century through its vibrant life today. This exciting, multi-layered experience includes artifacts, photographs, original recordings, archival video, newly produced films, touchscreen interactive media, and beautifully rendered text panels.

Free On-Property Exhibitions

MARILYN MURPHY: CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

“Curious Circumstances,” an exhibition featuring letterpress prints and large drawings by visual artist Marilyn Murphy, opens January 24 at Haley Gallery.

Online Exhibitions

How Nashville’s vibrant, pioneering R&B community played a significant role in building Music City’s worldwide reputation.

Adapted for an online audience, this exhibition explores the impact of Bob Dylan’s 1960s Nashville recordings, Johnny Cash’s groundbreaking TV show, and the ace musicians known as the “Nashville Cats.”

The online exhibition Suiting the Sound spotlights the artistry of Western-wear designers, often known as “rodeo tailors,” whose couture designs helped create the indelible “rhinestone cowboy” image.

Explore the history of Music Row—the longtime center of Nashville’s music community—with a new multimedia web exhibit that brings that creative neighborhood's story to life. Produced by the Museum and free to access, “Historic Music Row” uses archival video, photos, music, and more from the Museum’s collections to trace the history of several of Music Row’s landmark businesses and the people who made world-famous music there.

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