Exhibit Opening with Dick Boak

Join the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and Library & Museum in welcoming Dick Boak to open America at the Crossroads: The GUITAR and A Changing Nation. As an author, historian, and guitar builder for Martin guitars, Dick Boak will bring these instruments to life.

A Martin isn’t just a guitar. It’s playable history; part of a long line of legendary instruments stretching back to the company’s beginnings in 1833. Reserve your seat today to view this extraordinary exhibit and hear firsthand about the instruments on display.

Where
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
303 Pearl St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 

When
Friday, January 27, 2023
*Private Friends of Ford Member Reception: 5:30 p.m.
Exhibit Ribbon Cutting: 7 p.m.
Public Program: 7:05 p.m.
Book signing following the program.

Please RSVP by January 20, 2023

Lectures are free and open to the public. Since seating is limited, reservations are strongly encouraged. Walk-ins will be accommodated first come, first served.

*You must be a current member to attend the Friends of Ford reception. Need to check your status? Please contact Abby Vander Vliet at (616) 254-0396 or ford@38foundation.org.

A Zoom alternative is available here.

Dick Boak nearly lost his eyesight at the age of six and ever since, has concerned himself with visual details. Unable to surpass his older brothers in the sports arena, he focused instead on drawing, woodworking, writing, and music. In his teens, he self-published two booklets of poetry, immersed himself in technical drafting, and began to experiment with musical instrument design and construction. He became an art teacher, lathe-turner, performing musician, and luthier. In 1973, he discovered C. F. Martin & Co. and in 1976 was hired as a design draftsman. Since then and throughout his 42-year career, he held many diverse and creative positions at Martin, leading to the formation of Martin’s Artist Relations Department and the conception of more than one hundred signature guitar collaborations with the top musical talents of our time. His six acclaimed books tell the stories of those collaborations as well as his extensive archive research and museum work at Martin.

About the exhibit: America At The Crossroads: The GUITAR And A Changing Nation looks at America’s evolution through the lens of its most popular instrument—an instrument that has been part of our cultural heritage since the country’s founding. The guitar has been a symbol for everything from generational differences and racial divides to politics, consumer marketing, and fashionable relevance.  This exhibit is a touring exhibition of The National GUITAR Museum.