On May 13, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame unveiled its new main exhibit “Women Who Rock”, which traces iconic female music makers from the start of recorded music to today. The exhibit features women from different genres such as rock, pop and country among others.
Lauren Onkey, vice president of education and public programs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum said, “Women have more power these days. They have more legal power, more power within the music industry. I think it’s gone along with the rest of society and culture.”
She added that the decision to push through with a women’s exhibit was made last summer, after Rock Hall’s leaders had been discussing the idea for several years. About 40% of the items that make up the exhibit were already in the Rock Hall’s archives, so the process of reaching out to artists and their management for the remainder of the items in the exhibit began last year.
Some of the items included in the exhibit are the Gibson guitar that Mother Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family played in the ’20s and ’30s when the family pioneered country music, and the piano that Lady Gaga played as a child in New York in the ’90s. There are also costumes and handwritten lyrics by songwriters like Laura Nyro, and more guitars played by other female music icons.
Onkey said, “From what we’ve been hearing, there’s going to be a lot of interest in this exhibit. People who like music but don’t like history may be attracted to this exhibit because of its social story.”
The “Women Who Rock” exhibit will be open for viewing until February. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is located at 1 Key Plaza in Cleveland.
