National Guitar Museum facts for kids

The National Guitar Museum (NGM) is a special museum all about the guitar. It teaches you about the guitar's history, how it has changed over time, and its big impact on music and culture. The museum shows how guitars grew from old stringed instruments into the many different types we see today.

It also highlights the people who invented guitars, made them better, and played them famously. You can also learn about the science and technology that makes guitars look and sound the way they do. The NGM doesn't have one main building. Instead, its amazing collection travels around for people to see.

About the National Guitar Museum

The museum was started by HP Newquist. He is an author and used to be the editor of Guitar magazine. He is now the museum's executive director. This is the first museum to focus only on all parts of the guitar. It includes instruments from many different guitar makers around the world.

The NGM's collection features special guitars from famous old makers and modern luthiers (people who build or repair stringed instruments). The museum has a group of advisors who are famous guitarists. These include Tony Iommi, Steve Howe, Steve Vai, Ritchie Blackmore, Liona Boyd, Al Di Meola, and Joe Bonamassa.

History of the Museum

In 2011, the NGM started sending its collection on tours across the United States. In 2012, it was announced that a U.S. city would be chosen as the museum's permanent home after the tours finished. As of 2024, the museum is still touring and a permanent home has not yet been chosen.

Traveling Guitar Exhibits

The National Guitar Museum has several exciting exhibits that travel to different places. This lets many people learn about guitars.

"GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World"

"GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World" exhibit.

In February 2011, the NGM launched its first traveling exhibit. It was called "GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World." It started with special previews near New York City. The official national launch was in Orlando, Florida, on June 11, 2011. This exhibit traveled to many places across the United States from 2011 to 2022.

Some of the places that hosted this GUITAR Exhibit include:

• Discovery Museum and Planetarium (Bridgeport, CT)
• Orlando Science Center (Orlando, FL)
• Louisville Science Center (Louisville, KY)
• Kamin Science Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Science Museum of Virginia (Richmond, VA)
• The Springfield Science Museum (Springfield, MA)
• The Museum of Idaho (Idaho Falls, ID)
• The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (San Diego, CA)
• The Bishop Museum (Honolulu, Hawai’i)
• Liberty Science Center (Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ)
• Imagination Station (Toledo, OH)
• Discovery Place (Charlotte, NC)
• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Portland, OR)
• Exploration Place (Wichita, KS)
• Whitaker Center (Harrisburg, CA)
• Gulf Coast Exploreum (Mobile, AL)
• Buffalo Museum of Science (Buffalo, NY)
• The Berkshire Museum (Pittsfield, MA)
• Kalamazoo Valley Museum (Kalamazoo, MI)
• Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (Fort Worth, TX)
• Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman, MT)
• Cincinnati Museum Center (Cincinnati, OH)
• St. Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO)
• The History Museum at the Castle (Appleton, WI)
• McWane Science Center (Birmingham, AL)
• Peoria Riverfront Museum (Peoria, IL)
• Durham Museum (Omaha, NE)
• The Bullock Texas State History Museum (Austin, TX)
• Denver Museum of Nature and Science (Denver, CO)
• Kamin Science Center (Pittsburgh, PA)

"Medieval To Metal: The Art & Evolution Of The GUITAR"

The NGM also has a traveling art exhibit called "Medieval To Metal: The Art & Evolution Of The GUITAR." This exhibit first opened at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin in February 2015. It has since been shown at many art museums across the United States.

Some of the places that hosted this exhibit include:

• Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
• New Mexico Museum of Art
• Sonoma County Museum
• The Haggin Museum
• Butler Institute of American Art
• Saginaw Art Museum
• Vero Beach Museum of Art
• The Appleton Museum of Art
• Fort Wayne Museum of Art
• Stamford Museum
• Currier Museum of Art
• National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
• The Museum of Texas Tech University
• Carlsbad Museum
• Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach, FL)
• Buffalo Museum of Science
• Reading Public Museum
• Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
• The Powerhouse Museum
• The Midland Libraries
• The Juliet Art Museum
• The Loveland Museum
• Whirinaki Whare Taonga (Wellington, New Zealand)
• Art Gallery Of Ballarat (Victoria, Australia)
• William King Museum Of Art: Abingdon, VA

"America At The Crossroads: The GUITAR And A Changing Nation"

"America At The Crossroads: The GUITAR And A Changing Nation" is another NGM exhibit. It looks at U.S. history through the story of the guitar. It shows how the guitar connects to important national events. This exhibit first opened in January 2023 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum in Grand Rapids, MI.

Some of the places that hosted this exhibit include:

• Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
• Museum Of Science and History: Memphis, TN
• Carlsbad Museum: Carlsbad, NM
• Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience: Meridian, MS
• California Museum: Sacramento, CA
• Delta Cultural Center: Helena, AR
• The Bishop Museum: Bradenton, FL
• Museum Of The Mississippi Delta

Lifetime Achievement Award

The NGM gives out an annual "Lifetime Achievement Award." This award honors a guitarist who has greatly helped the legacy of the guitar.

Past award winners include:

• 2010: David Honeyboy Edwards
• 2011: Roger McGuinn of The Byrds
• 2012: B.B. King, known as the "King of the Blues"
• 2013: Vic Flick, a session guitarist famous for playing the original James Bond theme song
• 2014: Buddy Guy, a pioneering Chicago electric blues guitarist
• 2015: Tony Iommi, guitarist and founder of Black Sabbath, known for creating heavy metal music
• 2016: Glen Campbell, a singer and guitarist whose TV show helped make the acoustic-electric guitar popular
• 2017: Bonnie Raitt, a blues guitarist and singer, known as one of the best slide guitar players
• 2018: José Feliciano, a multi-genre guitarist and famous performer
• 2019: Liona Boyd, a classical guitarist
• 2020: Eddie Van Halen, honored after his passing
• 2021: Al di Meola, a famous jazz, fusion, and world music guitarist
• 2022: Jeff Beck, an innovative electric guitar pioneer
• 2023: Tommy Emmanuel, a master of fingerstyle guitar
• 2024: Alex Lifeson, a progressive hard rock guitarist and founder of Rush

See also

• List of music museums