Swift got her professional music start in country music, writing songs and recording in Nashville as a teenager. She released her first album, titled Taylor Swift, in 2006 when she was sixteen. On her first four albums (released between 2006 and 2012), Swift’s sound often included traditional country music instruments, such as acoustic guitars, banjos, dobros, fiddles and mandolins – sometimes playing acoustic guitar or banjo herself on the tracks. More recently, her “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” became the highest-earning concert tour ever in 2023 and today she is releasing her newest album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT.
Swift’s instruments on display correlate with items and themes found in Thomas Hart Benton’s iconic painting “The Sources of Country Music” located in the museum’s Hall of Fame Rotunda, depicting the musical and cultural roots of country music. Commissioned in 1973 by the museum, the six-foot by ten-foot mural is a synthesis of the artist, country music subject matter and the museum’s educational mission.
Artifacts now on display include:
- The custom-built Taylor PSGA Koa guitar with Swift’s name inlaid in mother-of-pearl on the fingerboard she played during her acoustic set on “The Red Tour” (2013–2014).
- The Deering Boston B6 six-string acoustic-electric banjo Swift played when she performed her song “Mean” at the Grammy Awards in 2012. The song won Grammys for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song. She drew “13” on the banjo head and inscribed it with handwritten lyrics to “Mean” along with drawings of clouds and stars.
- The BCBG Max Azria silk handkerchief dress, accented with sequins, and BCBGirls metallic bronze-colored boots with decorative stitching Swift wore in 2006 at both the ACM Awards and when she performed at the CMA Music Festival.
- A special artwork commemorating the 2023 U.S. leg of Swift’s 2023 “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” incorporating friendship bracelets that Swift received from fans.
An interactive display inviting visitors to create different pitches with a dulcimer will also be available to visitors. The Taylor Swift Education Center is located within the museum’s galleries. The two-story, 7,500-square-foot center opened in 2013 and was made possible through a generous donation from Swift to the museum’s capital campaign, which doubled the size of the nonprofit cultural organization. The education center includes classrooms, youth art installations, interactive galleries and learning labs with resources to facilitate distance learning and songwriting programs. In 2023, more than 236,000 people were served through 1,275 virtual and educational programs offered by the museum — many of the onsite programs originated in the Taylor Swift Education Center.
Images of the display can be downloaded here (Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum).
In support of the opening, the museum will invite museum visitors to create their very own friendship bracelet or key chain from 11 a.m.-Noon and 1-3 p.m. in the Taylor Swift Education Center today, April 19.
Tennessee children ages 18 and under from Cheatham, Davidson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties receive free museum admission as part of Community Counts: Museum Admission Program for Locals. Up to two accompanying adults receive 25% off admission. Proof of residency required. For more information, please visit Community Counts or inquire at the Museum Box Office. Community Counts Passports are available for check out through Nashville Public Library for two free adult admissions.
