With constantly changing temporary exhibits and additional Hall of Fame inductees, the special exhibits on the second floor are the reason you’ll want to return to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum again and again. When you’re done enjoying the exhibits, experience the music behind them live at the outdoor stage or Woodward Theatre.
AUDIO GUIDED TOUR
Experience the world of bluegrass like never before. Enjoy our audio guided tour, voiced by Kyle Cantrell of Bluegrass Junction on SiriusXM. Made possible by funding provided by AARP Kentucky.
HALL OF FAME ROOM
In bluegrass, we respect our elders. The crown jewel of the museum is the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Fame inductee room. This space is designed to properly honor the artists who conceived, shaped and influenced this unique American art form. Founded in 1991, the Hall of Fame is the bluegrass music industry’s tribute to the pioneers of the music and the people who have made it great.
Video interviews and artifact collections help enhance the experience as their stories are told and their legacies celebrated.
VIDEO ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
In partnership with the Marilyn & William Young Charitable Foundation, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum has captured video interviews with over 225 important bluegrass artists and musicians. These foundational artists tell the story of bluegrass music in their own words, made available through a unique, searchable interface.
TEMPORARY GALLERIES
Temporary exhibits are rotated in two galleries, offering visitors not-to-be-missed opportunities of learning and discovery. Past examples include Bill Monroe Centennial, Pioneers of Bluegrass, A Decade of Dailey & Vincent, and Dixie & Tom T. Hall.
LIBRARY / ARCHIVES
There are a variety of instruments available for viewing throughout the museum, including a showcase of historically significant instruments and the luthiers who crafted them. For example:
Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey Exhibition
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum will celebrate Garcia’s bluegrass music career with a temporary exhibition that will be open to the public for two years. The exhibition will include several of Garcia’s banjos, an acoustic guitar, a pedal steel, and many more artifacts to tell his bluegrass story. Within the Hall of Fame’s exhibit space, “Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey” will occupy 2000 square feet and include artifacts, interactives, exclusive interview content, and more.
Pete Seeger's Banjo
Donated to this museum by museum trustee Carl Pagter of California, the banjo was added to our permanent exhibits after Mr. Seeger performed with it during his Video Oral History interview in Beacon, New York, December 2006. You can listen to Pete playing the banjo, singing, and–as always–promoting peace through music.
My Buegrass Story
Launching in the Fall of 2021, My Bluegrass Story is a television show produced in Owensboro, KY by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Filming primarily took place on site at the Hall of Fame, with footage procured from ROMP Festival as well. My Bluegrass Story combines interviews, music performances, and ROMP Festival highlights, weaving together a television show that offers viewers a glimpse of the artist that is seldom captured. The exhibit is the perfect setting for telling the stories of today’s most innovative artists.
The exhibit showcases nearly a dozen instruments played by the artists showcased in My Bluegrass Story, as well as artifacts depicting the ‘behind the scenes’ work that went into the production of the series.
Industrial Strength Bluegrass
The Industrial Strength Bluegrass exhibition highlights bluegrass music created or connected to southwestern Ohio and was created in collaboration with the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, Fred Bartenstein, Joe Mullins, and many others. Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Dr. Neil V. Rosenberg first used the phrase "Industrial Strength Bluegrass" over thirty years ago to describe the music made by those of Appalachian heritage and landed in the Cincinnati/Dayton region as part of the Appalachian Migration along the Dixie Highway. The Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse, Red Allen, Larry Sparks, Jimmy Martin and other Bluegrass Hall of Fame members lived and performed in the area for a portion of their careers, and Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Dave Evans and others recorded in Ohio recording studios such as King Records and Starday. The Boys From Indiana, The Allen Brothers, and The Radio Ramblers among others past and present, began their career in this region, and Paul “Moon” Mullins featured all of this music and its history on radio and on stages for decades.