Today is #MuseumSelfie Day, a chance for museums across the globe to show the fun side of museums – and to ask you to join in the fun with us!
Our BCM staff are pretty passionate about the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, so I asked them to find their favorite spot in the building, take a selfie, and then tell me why they picked that spot. Check out their picks below – and then come out to the museum today, take your own selfie, and share it on social media with the tags #MuseumSelfie and #BCMMuseum.
Hannah Holmes, BCM Graphic Designer: I thought it only appropriate to take a selfie…with myself! Now that I’m memorialized in the Immersion Theater I may as well embrace it, right? Hundreds of people every month get to come see my goofy mug while listening to the sweet sounds of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
Rene Rodgers, Head Curator: I chose the Special Exhibits Gallery for my selfie because to me it is a room full of possibilities. We have 2–3 temporary exhibits per year – one time we might have an exhibit about luthiers, another we might explore the lives and legacy of The Carter Family, and yet another we might have a STEAM-focused exhibit here from the Smithsonian. Looking ahead we have some great exhibits on the horizon with topics from civil rights and Appalachian children’s literature to honky tonks and Marty Stuart! It’s exciting to be able to bring interesting and diverse exhibits to the museum and to see our community engaging with them in a meaningful way.
Kris Truelsen, Radio Bristol Producer (seen here with Tracey Childress and Charlene Baker, BCM Marketing Specialist): Nobody told me this thing was on?! Radio Bristol – we do radio a little bit different…
Leah Ross, BCM Executive Director: I love The Museum Store because of all the wonderful artisans who are a part of the museum experience. It is my #1 place for shopping!
Baylor Hall, Museum Manager: I love reading about Ralph Peer and how influential he was in the music industry. It’s because of his vision that I get to enjoy the music I love today!
Emily Robinson, Collections Manager: I never get tired of watching the film of musicians deconstructing Bristol Sessions recordings in the Greasy Strings Theater. It is so amazing to watch the tiny playing style details these talented folks can pick out just by listening to the recordings. It always makes me want to go home and learn to play my banjo better!
Erika Barker, BCM Sales & Business Development Manager: The Sing Along Station is my favorite place in the museum because I love to sing! Inside the booth, you can sing along to songs from the 1927 Bristol Sessions and then listen to the recording of your very own modern Bristol Session. It is always fun to watch kids and adults make recordings. This is an interactive part of our exhibit that everyone can enjoy – even if you are shy, being in the soundproof box means only those you choose to take into the booth with you will hear you sing!
The Performance Theater was a popular spot…
(Left) Josh Littleton, Radio Bristol Engineer & Technical Administrator: I love watching the loop of Radio Bristol Sessions playing in the Birthplace of Country Music’s state-of-the-art Performance Theater. There’s nothing better, except being here in person and seeing a LIVE Radio Bristol Session in that very same space!
(Top right) June Marshall, Frontline Associate: I love the Performance Theater, especially when it comes to life!!
(Bottom right) Shane Simmons, BCM Director of Development: My favorite part of the museum is the Performance Theater. It is a great reminder to me that while we are a museum, we aren’t just about the past – we are still making history today.
Tracey Childress, BCM Administrative Assistant: Did you know you can email someone a postcard from Bristol from the museum? It’s a cool way to send an electronic souvenir – and show everyone you’re having a good time, wish they were here!
Kim Davis, BCM Director of Marketing: One of my favorite areas of the museum is the “Circles of Success” wall, which features 76 individual records representing each song recorded in the 1927 Bristol Sessions. There is something about seeing each and every song recorded on the wall that brings the Sessions to life for me.
Thank you to all our staff for embracing their silliness and feeling passionate about this museum all at the same time!