Special Exhibit on Display through Nov 11th
eGuitar@80 – Eighty Years of the Amplified Guitar
Wichita celebrates the 80th anniversary of the electric guitar with a special exhibit running through November 11th. Did you know the earliest documented performance of the electric guitar was in Wichita? Local guitarist and orchestra leader Gage Brewer introduced it with great fanfare in a series of concerts during October of 1932.
eGuitar@80, Eighty Years of the Amplified Guitar (closes November 11th, 2012)
Our eGuitar@80 exhibit presents the stories behind Wichita’s role in the electric guitar development. We explore the origins of the instrument as well as its history over the last 80 years. Borrowing from ten collections, the exhibit includes 45 exceptional instruments, including what experts have recently agreed “may well be the most historically important guitar ever made . . . the first modern electric guitar.”
Guitar Summit Weekend 2012 –
Electric Guitar History Symposium the weekend of August 25-26; featured as part of the special exhibit “eGuitar@80, eighty years of amplified guitar” (closes Nov. 11th). The symposium is held at the Museum and will feature public programs and an appraisal event. A museum benefit performance by “Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics” caps-off the weekend on Monday the 27th. Programs are free with regular admission; Museum Members are admitted free.
Featuring Visiting Authorities:
Richard Smith – Curator of the Fullerton Museum and Widely Published Author http://www.ci.fullerton.ca.us/depts/museum/
Arian Sheets – Curator of Strings, National Music Museum http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/
Lynn Wheelwright – celebrated authority of early electric musical instruments http://www.vintageguitar.com/3588/ro-pat-in-electric-spanish/
Matthew Hill – Organologist, Curator of the John Hall Collection and Corporate Historian, Rickenbacker International http://www.organology.org/
Eric Cale – Director of the Wichita Sedgwick County Historical Museum
Saturday, August 25th
10:00 am to 12:00 pm ticketed Guitar Appraisal Event: a private, non-valued assessment to reveal the origin, age, originality and condition of an instrument. Tickets are $10 per instrument and may be purchased at the admissions desk.
1:30 Presentations by Eric Cale – “The Musical Life of Gage Brewer”; Arian Sheets – pre 1930’s electronic musical instruments; Richard Smith – “Electric Guitar Origins and Originators” Smith signs his books on sale in the Museum Gift Shop: “A History of Rickenbacker” & “Fender, the First 50 Years;” Matthew Hill – “John Dopyera and the Early National Company”.
Sunday, August 26 – 1:30 Presentations: Lynn Wheelwright and Matthew Hill – TBA (with a focus on Kansas Native “Doc” Kauffman); Illustrated survey of the earliest electric guitars; Panel discussion followed by Question and Answers session about the origins of the Electric Guitar.
Monday, August 27 – Deke Dickerson at the Sunset 7-10pm
“Deke Dickerson and The Ecco-Fonics” stage a benefit performance for the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. The performance takes place at the Sunset Banquet Hall – formerly the Sunset Theater where the classic motion picture “ENDLESS SUMMER” made its national debut, February of 1966. Dickerson is a widely respected musicologist and American rock n’ roll guitarist and band leader. The evening begins at 6:30 pm with Wichita’s own “Sub-Coast Surfers”. Tickets are available through Select-a-seat outlets for $10 or at the door of the Sunset (1407 E. Harry) evening of the show for $15.
These Programs celebrate the special exhibit “eGuitar@80, eighty years of the amplified guitar” produced by the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, running through November 11, 2012. This Special Exhibit celebrates the 80th anniversary of the launching of the electric guitar. The exhibit borrows nationally from ten collections, exhibiting 45 exceptional instruments, including what experts have recently agreed “may well be the most historically important guitar ever made . . . the first modern electric guitar – a 1932 elektRO-PATent-INstruments (Rickenbacker) electric Spanish guitar.” In fact, the earliest documented performance of the electric guitar was in Wichita, Kansas when local guitarist and orchestra leader Gage Brewer introduced what would become the 20th century’s most remarkable instrument with great fanfare in a series of concerts during October of 1932.
Link to:
Our Building
Feature Exhibits
Special Exhibits
Past Exhibits
E-xibits
Programs
Photo Archives
Calendar