A guitar more than 40 feet long sits in the center of the exhibit.
“Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World” will be at the Durham Museum until April 25.
Cigar box guitars in the exhibit.
A Durham Museum employee walks through the new guitar exhibit, which has more than 70 instruments. Above, at left, cigar box guitars in the exhibit and at right, a 12-string guitar on display at the Durham. The exhibit opened Saturday and runs through April 25.
A 12-string guitar on display at the Durham.
Three guitars that belonged to the late Eddie Van Halen have sold for a combined $422,000 at auction.
OMAHA — The Durham Museum opened its latest exhibit recently, and it was the perfect day to spend indoors exploring the world of the guitar.
The interactive exhibit, “Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked The World,” not only includes more than 70 instruments on display, but also allows visitors to interact with the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) elements behind the guitar.
Sandra Galvan brought her daughters Marliss, 8, and Melody, 2, to see the exhibit.
“We saw that this was coming to town, and (Marliss) really likes guitars, so we came to check it out,” Sandra said. “I really like the interactive aspects of it all because it’s very educational.”
Marliss said her favorite part of the exhibit was the “big guitar.”
A guitar more than 40 feet long in the center of the exhibit has been featured in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Durham spokeswoman Jessica Brummer said the exhibit is great for all ages because of everything it entails.
“I think it does a really good job of blending history and culture and science,” she said. “There’s a lot of those hands-on science elements, where you can learn about the science and sound behind the instrument itself.”
A Gibson Les Paul is one of more than 70 guitars in the exhibit.
Some of the STEAM elements of the exhibit include testing the sounds of different types of guitar strings and learning about sound waves and how guitars are engineered.
Brummer said the exhibit was supposed to come to the museum last summer but was rescheduled after the Durham closed because of the pandemic.
“Guitar” is a part of the Durham’s traveling exhibition program. Brummer said the exhibit is from the National Guitar Museum and will be on display through April 25.
Mark and Victoria Gammell also made the trek in the cold to see the new exhibit.
Mark has played the guitar for the last 40 years and has built them for the last five.
“I’ve played for a long time, so I wanted to check it out because it’s an unusual exhibit you don’t expect to see,” he said. “They show a variety of instruments within the whole sphere of the guitar world.”
Victoria said she liked that the exhibit is educational for those who know a lot about guitars and those who don’t.
“As the wife of a guy who plays and makes guitars, I’ve gotten to know the parts pretty well,” she said. “This exhibit helps you appreciate the design and technique that goes into it.”
Alongside the guitar exhibit, the Durham partnered with the Omaha Conservatory of Music to showcase “Instrumental: Making Music with the Omaha Conservatory of Music,” which is geared toward children and families.
“It’s all about how you can make your own musical instruments with things you have at home,” Brummer said. “This companion show really gives people a way to maybe understand how they can bring music back to their homes with things they have.”
Tickets to the Durham Museum must be purchased in advance. “Guitar” is included with museum admission.
TOP NEBRASKA ATTRACTIONS
Top 10 Nebraska attractions
No. 10: Orpheum Theatre and Holland Performing Arts Center
Omaha's Orpheum Theatre and Holland Performing Arts Center reported 380,000 visitors in 2017.
No. 9: Platte River State Park
You can see Stone Creek Falls at Platte River State Park, which had 525,883 visitors in 2017.
No. 8: Fort Robinson State Park
After a morning snow, the sun begins to rise over Fort Robinson State Park. The park's 2017 visitor count: 570,536 people.
No. 7: Louisville State Recreation Area
Towering trees shade the camping and recreational spaces at the Louisville Lakes State Recreation Area in eastern Nebraska. Almost 600,000 people visited Louisville SRA in 2017.
No. 6: Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
A view of the grounds of Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, which hosted 791,865 visitors in 2017.
No. 5: Ponca State Park
The Missouri National Recreation River Visitor and Education Center at Ponca State Park in Dixon County. In 2017, 893,030 people visited the park.
No. 4: Fremont State Recreation Area
Fremont State Recreation Area is covered in a light snow. About 932,000 people visited the area in 2017.
No. 3: CenturyLink Center Omaha
A million people went to the CenturyLink Center Omaha (blue lights at right) in the center's 2016-2017 fiscal year.
No. 2: Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area
Lake McConaughy's white sand beaches attracted 1,773,385 visitors in 2017. The lake and the surrounding state recreation area underwent improvements, leading to a significant increase in visitors.
No. 1: Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
The Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in Omaha is the state's No. 1 attraction. More than 2 million visitors toured the zoo in 2017.
