The Purse & The Person: A Century of Women’s Purses October 18, 2008 – January 4, 2009
While archeologists may create a picture of an individual from a cache of artifacts buried deep in the earth, this exhibition brings together life stories buried right under our noses - in the purses carried by our mothers and grandmothers. Developed from a private collection of nearly 2,000 handbags, each vignette in this show combines purses with the everyday objects that filled them. Glimpse into the lives of Edwardian matrons, flappers, wartime Rosie the Riveters, suburban housewives, hippies, businesswomen, and more. Historical photographs are used to bring these characters to life. The women of the 20th century will reveal their personalities, their fashion sense, and their day-to-day concerns brought out in the mysterious depths of their purses.
Continuous Exhibits Solid Design: Leo Fender’s Telecaster Opening March 22, 2008 in the Leo Fender Gallery
In early 1949 Leo Fender started seriously designing a standard guitar model for his Fine Line of Fender Electric Instruments. At first the guitar was called the Esquire, then the Broadcaster, and finally the Telecaster. Sixty years later it is one of the most popular guitars in the world, an instrument built for working men and women musicians who defined the blues, country, and pop styles.
“Solid Design: Leo Fender’s Telelcaster” will showcase this instrument, the first commercially successful solidbody electric guitar, an instrument that changed music history. Numerous examples from the early years will be on display. There will also be a noticeable celebrity component in the images and presentation, including Telecasters once owned by stars. The exhibit points to players such as George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Roy Buchanan, James Burton, Don Rich, and Mike Bloomfield. These musicians—Tele players all—created some of the most potent music imaginable.
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