The Durham Museum Announces its 2021 Exhibit Schedule
The Durham Museum is excited to announce its 2021 exhibit lineup. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the museum’s temporary closure, some exhibits originally planned for 2020 have been moved to the 2021 season. The year kicks off with Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World from the National GUITAR Museum. It will be accompanied by Instrumental, a partnership exhibit with the Omaha Conservatory of Music. Spring brings Beyond the Vote, a commemoration of women’s suffrage. The summer brings the immersive James Cameron – Challenging the Deep from the Australian National Maritime Museum. The year comes to a close with Omaha Uncovered and 40 CHANCES: Finding Hope in a Hungry World from the Newseum. A complete list of exhibits and their descriptions are found below.
(Exhibits listed in chronological order of their opening date)
Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked The World
February 6 – April 25, 2021
Explore the history of the world’s most recognized musical instrument in Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World. Experience diverse genres of music and discover the science of pitch and tone. Crossing over cultural boundaries, the guitar has made a significant impact on a wide variety of groups from gypsies to cowboys to teenage rebels.
See over 60 guitars and nearly 100 historical artifacts that immerse you in the heart of music. Experience the rush of the world’s most recognized musical instrument through the powerful lens of science. You, too, can play a Guinness Record-breaking 43.5-foot-long guitar. Discover how the selection of different materials and strings, fused with electromagnetism and amplification, create an elaborate device that has revolutionized music. “GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World” is a Touring Exhibition of The National GUITAR Museum.
Instrumental: Making Music with the Omaha Conservatory of Music
February 6 – April 25, 2021
The museum has partnered with the Omaha Conservatory of Music to showcase how instruments can be made from all kinds of things! In Instrumental: Making Music with the Omaha Conservatory of Music, guests can learn how to make their own instruments with things they have at home. This interactive display provides inspiration for trying something new and a history of the global story many centuries long of people making music. Experience our in-house creations like our 8-ft rain stick or play in the cajon drum circle. We hope it encourages you to do-it-yourself at home!
Beyond the Vote
March 6 – June 6, 2021
Over 100 years ago, women got the right to vote. The Durham is pleased to present a unique exhibition experience exploring the lasting impact of the 19th amendment. Beyond the Vote will blend iconic images of the past from our partners at the Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress with original contemporary artwork created by five local artists. The exhibit will explore the themes at the heart of the suffrage movement—both for and against—and how those same themes about a woman’s place in the world continue to resonate today.
James Cameron – Challenging the Deep
May 22 – September 12, 2021
Immerse yourself in another world in an exhibition that traces filmmaker James Cameron’s lifelong pursuit of and achievements in deep ocean science, technology and exploration, including his record-breaking dives in DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, the submersible vessel he designed, that was built in Sydney.
Experience how James Cameron’s passion for understanding and exploring our oceans has shone a light on the least known place on earth. The exhibition immerses you in an underwater environment using cinema scale projections, artifacts and specimens from his expeditions. Explore the spectacular and mysterious abyss and discover the shipwrecks of Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck. See artefacts from the design and construction of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, built to withstand water pressures of 1.2 tons per square centimeter.
Learn how underwater recording, lighting, communication and diving technologies pioneered by Cameron transfer between filmmaking and exploration. You’ll also see original film props and costumes from The Abyss and Titanic, including the iconic Heart of the Ocean diamond. Discover the world of a man driven to explore and meet the challenges of the deep.
Omaha Uncovered: Revealing History through Art and Story
August 7 – November 21, 2021
History is revealed to us in many ways. Artifacts, photographs and personal memories can help us make connections to our past. This fall, The Durham Museum presents “Omaha Uncovered: Revealing History through Art and Story”, an exhibit focused on uncovering the vast and fascinating history of our city. The exhibition highlights both preservation and conservation, giving visitors an up-close look into how history can come to life. Over the course of four months, conservators from the Gerald R. Ford Conversation Center will be “on exhibit” actively restoring a historic mural from 1905 entitled “Aerial View of Omaha” that once hung in the lobby of the Omaha Bee newspaper office. The beautifully painted mural, which is part of the museum’s permanent collection, looks west from the Missouri River towards the western horizon and elegantly captures the layout of the Omaha of the past and present. Lovers of maps, history and art will enjoy seeing the faded mural brought to new life over the duration of the project. Guests can also see preservation in action in our working lab of the Photo Archive. Museum staff will be in the exhibit actively digitizing historic photographs from the museum collection as well as highlighting stories of iconic Omaha photos through the personal memories of long-time Omaha resident and former museum employee/volunteer, Bill Gonzales.
40 CHANCES: Finding Hope in a Hungry World
October 9, 2021 – January 9, 2022
In this powerful exhibit featuring the photography of Howard G. Buffett, 40 photographs document the world hunger crisis as part of a global awareness campaign. Traveling to more than 137 countries, Buffett turned his camera lens on the powerful forces that fuel hunger and poverty. A philanthropist and farmer, Buffett believes that each of us has about 40 chances to accomplish our life goals, just as farmers have about 40 growing seasons to improve their harvests. His photography is a call to action to find lasting solutions to the world hunger crisis.
“40 CHANCES: Finding Hope in a Hungry World” was developed by the Newseum in collaboration with Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The Newseum, located in Washington, D.C., increases the public understanding of the importance of a free press and the First Amendment newseum.org. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation is the exclusive sponsor of the “40 CHANCES: Finding Hope in a Hungry World” exhibit.
