Columbia, SC - Who Shot Rock & Roll is the first major exhibition on rock and roll to put photographers in the foreground, acknowledging their creative and collaborative role in the history of rock music. The exhibition includes 175 works by more than 100 photographers, and covers the rock and roll era from the 1950s to the present, including some of the world's most iconic images. The exhibition opens to the public at the Columbia Museum of Art on Friday, February 25 - a free admission day, courtesy of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina - and runs through May 22, 2011. It was organized by the prestigious Brooklyn Museum of Art and opened there to rave reviews and record-breaking attendance. Columbia is the last stop on the nation-wide traveling tour.

The New York Times reviewer, Ken Johnson wrote, "...to study images of Elvis Presley, Madonna and others when they were starting out is to marvel at the youth of those who created the huge global industry of today's pop music."

This is the first exhibition to address the story of rock and roll as told from the perspective of the people who chronicled its development and defined it through visual imagery. Who Shot Rock and Roll is about the men and women who photographed one of the most important cultural revolutions ever, rock and roll. Some of the major photographers represented in the show are David LaChapelle, Mark Seliger, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz and Bob Gruen. The photographers' images communicate the social and cultural transformations that rock has fostered since the 1950s.

The exhibition is in six sections and includes video installations as well: rare and revealing images taken behind the scenes; tender snapshots of young musicians at the beginnings of their careers; exhilarating photographs of live performances that display the energy, passion, style and sex appeal of the band on stage; powerful images of the crowds and fans that are often evocative of historic paintings; portraits revealing the soul and creativity, rather than the surface and celebrity, of the musicians; and conceptual images and album covers highlighting the collaborative efforts between the image makers and the musicians.

The music of the era needed images to communicate its message of rebellion, freedom, and personal reinvention - these photographs and others like them, were the hard evidence that rock was transforming the world. By exploring this intersection of rock and roll and great photography, Who Shot Rock and Roll is an antidote to the slick, packaged visual products of the music industry, and instead presents photographs of depth, raw power, tenderness and brilliance.

The exhibition Title sponsor is  Piggly Wiggly. Presenting sponsors are Dr. Suzan D. Boyd and Mr. M. Edward Sellers, Hannah and Ron Rogers and Columbia Marriott. Supporting sponsors are Helen and John Hill and Colonial Life. Contributing sponsors are Doctors Care and Pierrine and Hootie Johnson Fund of the Central Carolina Community Foundation.

Organized and circulated by the Brooklyn Museum, with guest curator Gail Buckland.

RELATED PROGRAMS

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit columbiamuseum.org.

Art du Jour Tour & Lunch

This special opportunity allows groups to enjoy an elegant lunch in the Museum's garden themed Orientation Gallery, designed and painted by trompe l'oeil artist Christian Thee. A private guided tour of the special exhibition or collection galleries of your choosing follows lunch. This program can accommodate up to 30 individuals. $30 per person. Price includes group admission. *Please note, this special tour requires at least a 3-week booking notice. To book, call 803.343.2209.

Wine and Cheese Tour

An intimate gathering in the Museum's garden-themed Orientation Gallery with this special tour package follows a private guided tour of the special exhibition or collection galleries of your choosing. Designed and painted by trompe l'oeil artist Christian Thee, this gallery creates a magical environment in which to enjoy the wine and cheese gathering at the end of your tour.  $12 per person. Price includes group admission. *Please note, this special tour requires at least a 3-week booking notice. To book, call 803.343.2163.  

Gallery Tour: Who Shot Rock & Roll

Every Saturday  |  1:00 p.m.

A docent-led tour of the exhibition, Who Shot Rock & Roll, offers insight into the works represented in the exhibition. Free with admission or membership.

Members' Exhibition Preview Celebration:Who Shot Rock & Roll

Thursday, February 24  |  7:00 p.m.

Members see it first! Tour the exhibition, attend a lecture at 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. and enjoy a live band beginning at 9:00 p.m. DJ provided by Greater Columbia Society for the Preservation of Soul. Individual membership admits one; all other membership levels admit two. Light hors d'oeuvres and cash bar. Members with reservations only. Space is limited. To become a member, visit columbiamuseum.org or call 803.343.2198.

Arts & Draughts: Art, drink and be happy!

Friday, March 4  |   Doors open at 7:00 p.m. / Performance begins at 8:00 p.m.

Arts & Draughts is a new series designed to be an interactive party on the first Friday of every month at the Museum.  In partnership with Columbia Design League, Arts & Draughts features a special lecture and Q&A session with MTV Arts Director, Jeffrey Keyton at 7:00 p.m. Keyton oversees the award-winning design teams at MTV and has been instrumental in defining MTV's distinctive visual personality for the last 20 years. Throughout the evening, enjoy performances from Sounds Familiar Records with Preach Jacobs and the punk-rock band Sons of Young, take a unique perspective tour of Who Shot Rock & Roll with music enthusiast Pat Wall and indulge in a beer tasting. And while you're here, create your own mini canvas and watch a live painting by Thomas Crouch. Sponsored by The Whig, Free Times and Earth Fare. $7 / $5 for members.

Lunch with Elvis: King Creole

Tuesday, March 8  |  11:30 a.m.

In connection with Who Shot Rock & Roll, and in partnership with the Nickelodeon, the Museum presents a screening of King Creole and lunch by Immaculate Consumption. Having flunked graduation for a second time and needing cash to support his crabby father, Danny Fisher takes a job as a singer in the King Creole nightclub. The Lunch with Elvis film series is shown at the Nickelodeon Theater at 937 Main Street in Columbia. Tickets area $8 and can be purchased at www.nickelodeon.org.

The Diva Hair Weaver: Hair and Hat Show

Friday, March 11   |   7:00 p.m.

In celebration of the exhibition, Who Shot Rock & Roll, The Diva Hair Weaver creates new fashion styles and attitudes for a unique hair and hat runway show. $15 / $10 members / $5 students

Lunch with Elvis: Jailhouse Rock

Tuesday, March 22  |  11:30 a.m.

In connection with Who Shot Rock & Roll, and in partnership with the Nickelodeon, the Museum presents a screening of Jailhouse Rock and lunch by Immaculate Consumption. In this 1957 film, young Vince Everett becomes a teenage rock star after serving time for manslaughter. The Lunch with Elvis film series is shown at the Nickelodeon Theater at 937 Main Street in Columbia. Tickets area $8 and can be purchased at www.nickelodeon.org.

Urban Tour: Celebrating Shopping, Dining and Culture in Downtown Columbia

Thursday, April 7   |  5:30 - 9:00 p.m.

In partnership with Shuffle Magazine and Free Times, the Museum hosts live music, exhibition tours and a question and answer session with a music industry panel. Free!

Grit & Glamour: Rock & Roll in Focus

Saturday, April 16   |    7:00 p.m.

Celebrate the history of rock'n'roll and PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR at the most talked about event of the year - the 2011 Museum Gala! Indulge your senses with out-of-this-world entertainment and décor, scrumptious hors d'oeuvres and libations, fabulous dance music and live performances. Gala proceeds assist the Museum's mission to inspire, educate and enrich lives through art. Tickets are $150 per person. | Black-Tie with Attitude. For more information, visit columbiamuseum.org.

Lecture: Who Shot Rock & Roll

Saturday, April 23  |   2:00 p.m.

Melissa Warak discusses interactions between art and music in the late 1950s and early 1960s and compares photographs of avant-garde performances of the early 1960s to later photography of more popular musicians including the Rolling Stones. Warak is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. Free with admission or membership.

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Museum Information

The Columbia Museum of Art is South Carolina's premier international art museum and houses a world-class collection of European and American art. Founded in 1950, the Museum opened its new building on Main Street in 1998 with 25 galleries. The collection includes masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, porcelain and works by significant furniture and silver makers, as well as American, Asian, and modern and contemporary art. In recent years the Museum's collection of Asian art and Antiquities has grown through generous gifts to the collection. Of particular interest are Sandro Botticelli's Nativity, Claude Monet's The Seine at Giverny, Canaletto's View of the Molo, and art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The Museum's newly commissioned Chihuly chandelier is now on view in the Museum's David Wallace Robinson, Jr. Atrium. The Museum offers changing exhibitions from renowned museums as well as educational programs for all ages that include art classes, art camps, lectures, films and concerts. It is the recipient of a National Art Education Association award for its contributions to arts education and an Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. Generous support to the Museum is provided by the City of Columbia, Richland County, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties.

                                                

General Info:
803.799.2810  / Group Tours: 803.343.2163   
www.columbiamuseum.org

Location:
1515 Main Street in the heart of downtown Columbia

Admission:
Always FREE for members
Free for children ages 5 and under  (does not apply to groups).
$10 adults, $5 students, $8 military, $8 senior citizens (ages 65 and over).
Every Sunday is FREE courtesy of BlueCross BlueShield of SC.

Museum and Museum Shop Hours:
Open 6 days a week!
Tuesday - Friday 11:00 a.m. -  5:00 p.m.
First Friday of every month 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
                                   (until 5:00 p.m. in December)
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays.