'New Harmonies' exhibit opens May 1 in Cambridge

"New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music," a traveling exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Service and presented in the state by the Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC), opens May 1 in Cambridge. The exhibit will be housed through June 6 in the Cambridge Museum.

The exhibit tours six Nebraska sites through December 31, and celebrates--through roots music--the quintessential American values of freedom, democracy, independence, diversity, and ingenuity. Roots music embraces folk, country, blues, gospel, jazz, bluegrass, rock and roll, rap, and more.

Each site will develop public humanities programming related to the exhibit's theme and create events and activities to encourage public participation. Among activities planned in Cambridge is a special opening event at 2 p.m. May 2.

"New Harmonies" also will be on display at the Platte County Historical Society Museum in Columbus (June 13-July 24), Kearney's Trails & Rails Museum (Aug. 4-29), Cherry County Historical Society Museum in Valentine (Sept. 3-Oct. 11), and Loves Jazz & Arts Center in Omaha (Oct. 18-Dec. 31).

"New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music" is made possible in Nebraska with support from Cornhusker Press, a division of Dutton Lainson Company, the Berman Music Foundation, The Nebraska Rural Radio Network--KRVN, KTIC, and KNEB, Brown Transfer Company, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and the "We the People" initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.