UPDATE: 1/26/21. Here it is y’all! With this note from the museum:
Oh happy day! Yep, it’s finally open.
So, some context – we were initially advised that Zydeco music would be there in its rightful place in the “Rivers of Rhythm” gallery; in the center room that connects all the other corners of this state of the art $60 million, 56,000 sq. ft facility.
However, thinking now Zydeco just got a promotion by having the display moved to the Main Lobby!
More context: we started working on this several years ago, and just kept at it for almost two years to convince museum staff to consider adding a zydeco exhibit. Done, and done!
We actually helped curate this small, but mighty exhibit consisting of Queen Ida’s accordion, Reggie Dural’s rubboard (frottoir), a hand crafted Creole flag we commissioned and by request, Terrance’s Fulani hat – the one he wears in honor of his African heritage.
We were also told by museum staff that our exhibit was on display in the main lobby for their grand opening and ribbon cutting on January 18, 2021! Another huge moment for the music and Louisiana Creole culture.
First look at the museum from CBS This Morning.
There’s a central room in the new National Museum of African American Music – one that connects to all other corners of the 56,000-square-foot space. It’s called the “Rivers of Rhythm” corridor, and once you step inside, you’re awash in the sounds that have defined America for 400 years. On one end, you hear voices harmonizing over centuries-old spirituals, blending into the earliest recordings of Delta blues. At the same time, the opening saxophone flourishes of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” beckon from the other side of the hall, while Ice Cube tears into the first bars of “Straight Outta Compton.”
-The Tennessean