Celebrate the Legacy… the Fender Story showcases the history, the people and the processes that have made Fender guitars part of the American existence.
Creators
Gallery
This gallery includes photos of Leo Fender and information
on other early key players including Bill Carson, George Fullerton and Freddie
Tavares.
Lifestyle Gallery
Interpretive vignettes portraying the guitar in various aspects
of popular culture fill this area. From a Monochromatic Music Store, Beach
Surf Scene, and Delta Blues Porch to an inside look at a Recording Studio
and a Backstage Scene.
Custom
Shop Gallery
This gallery includes a photographic look at how the design
and fabrication of Fender guitars has changed over the years. There are also
body templates hanging on the shop wall including Artists’ templates
from Eric Clapton and Billy Idol and prototype designs from Kurt Cobain.
Experience
Gallery
In this area guests can play an instrument of their choice
- for how ever long they wish! Choose from guitar, bass, drums or keyboards.
Visual Arts Gallery
Artist to Icon ~ Early photographs of Elvis, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles
Exhibit shows: September 2003 thru Year-End
Certain occurrences have rocked the world. Elvis Presley’s recording of “Hound Dog.” The rise of Beatlemania. Bob Dylan going electric. These events are so ingrained in our cultural history, it would be difficult to imagine the world without them. Artist to Icon presents approximately 49 photographs never before shown together from the EMP (Experience Music Project) collection, showcasing works by five photographers who documented Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles at crucial times in their careers - well before anyone knew they would become legends.
These photographers were clearly in the right places at the right times. They captured specific moments when individual talent, style, good luck, and social energies came together as harbingers of fame, fortune, and immense cultural change. Through the images of these rock ‘n’ roll giants, we gain a sense of prehistory, of milling through backrooms and small clubs in the moments before artist became icon and the world of music changed forever.