Country Music Hall Of Fame Spotlights Taylor Swift

The Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum will explore superstar Taylor Swift's record-breaking world tour with the exhibition Taylor Swift: Speak Now-Treasures from the World Tour, which opens on June 6, 2012, and runs through November 4, 2012.  The exhibition will include dozens of costumes, instruments, set pieces and props from the six-time Grammy winner's acclaimed 2011-12 Speak Now World Tour, which entertained more than 1.5 million fans over 111 shows in 19 countries spanning four continents.
    
"Taylor Swift's Speak Now tour was one of the most successful tours in all of music, and she has been an ambassador for country music, raising awareness of our genre literally around the globe," said Museum Director Kyle Young.  "We are delighted to be able to bring our visitors up close and personal with many of their favorite elements from the show, from the colorful and elaborate stage costumes and beautiful instruments, to the magnificent 'Juliet balcony' that Taylor entered near the conclusion of each show and 'flew' around the circumference of each venue. 
    
"Taylor is a dynamic live performer whose open heart and engaging personality allow her to make even the largest stadium shows an intimate experience," Young continued.  "Touring has always been a key element connecting music artists with their fans; those interactions help forge and strengthen the artist-fan relationship, and this exhibit speaks to that.  And the opportunity came to us out of discussions we were having with Taylor related to our expansion-serendipity is a wonderful thing!"
    
Earlier this month, Swift pledged $4 million to fund a new education center at the museum.  Swift's gift, the largest capital contribution by an individual artist in the museum's 45-year history, prompted the museum to name the new space the Taylor Swift Education Center.  The center will open in early 2014.  The gift was made in conjunction with the museum's expansion capital campaign, Working on a Building: Country Music Lives Here. 
    
Swift has for years been a generous supporter of the museum's exhibitions, loaning the institution dresses, stage costumes and instruments for display; a free-standing, Taylor Swift multimedia exhibit has been one of the museum's most popular attractions since its debut in May, 2010.