HAC The First Stop For Smithsonian Exhibit – New Harmonies

Calhoun will host the exhibit New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, coming to the Harris Arts Center in the spring of 2012.

The Georgia Humanities Council, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, selected Calhoun as the first site in the state to present the traveling exhibition that shares America’s story by examining the origins of American music. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, a partner in the Georgia exhibits, will send orchestra members to each community for special programs exploring musical heritage.

In Georgia, New Harmonies will travel from 2012 through 2013, stopping in Calhoun April14–May 26 and then going for six weeks each to Americus, Bremen, Darien, LaGrange, Moultrie, Madison, Nashville, Perry, Thomson, Toccoa, and Waycross.

New Harmonies highlights distinct types of American music, including blues, country, folk, gospel, Native American, and sacred harp. The exhibit also features interactive panels, listening kiosks, and tailored display cases that allow each community to explore and showcase its own local music heritage. “New Harmonies provides the perfect opportunity to rediscover and celebrate Georgia’s roots music traditions,” according to the Georgia Humanities Council president, Jamil Zainaldin.

Calhoun’s musical heritage–Jim and Andrew Baxter, the Georgia Yellow Hammers, Roland Hayes, and many others–and its Native American presence at New Echota made it a strong contender for the hotly contested competition among Georgia towns.

Host communities will stage companion programming for all ages, including festivals, concerts, jams, contests, and related music exhibits. Tour details (including venues and event dates) are forthcoming. For additional information on New Harmonies in Georgia, visit http//www.georgiahumanities.org.

New Harmonies is a part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.