New event date! April 26, 2023!

Join the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation in welcoming University of Michigan musicology and American Culture professor Mark Clague to recount the history of “The Star Spangled Banner” and how its meaning has evolved. After the lecture, guests are invited to view the feature exhibit America at the Crossroads: The GUITAR and a Changing Nation. Crossroads is a traveling exhibit from the National Guitar Museum and is on display until May 28, 2023.

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

When
Thursday, April 26, 2023
Public Program: 7 p.m.

Please RSVP by April 19, 2023

A Zoom alternative is available here.

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.

Mark Clague, Ph.D., serves as Associate Professor of Musicology, Arts Leadership, and American Culture at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He is also the Associate Dean of Collaborations and Partnerships. His book “O Say Can You Hear: A Cultural Biography of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was published by W.W. Norton. Mark’s research focuses on the social power of music in American life. His publications include the recording Poets & Patriots: A Tuneful History of The Star-Spangled Banner, which surveys historic versions and political parodies of the U.S. national anthem. This work also appears in the Star Spangled Songbook, a collection of sheet music. His anthem research work has sparked collaborations with the Smithsonian Museum of American History, Los Angeles Grammy Museum, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, and in recital with baritone Thomas Hampson at the Library of Congress. His ongoing research is featured at starspangledmusic.org and he posts to Twitter as @usmusicscholar.

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.