Tag: special exhibit

Dates: October 14, 2025 – April 6, 2026

Location: Special Exhibits Gallery, Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Cowboy boots are an iconic element of country music. Bespoke boot maker Lisa Sorrell’s creations illustrate how cowboy boots can fulfill both art and function. Boot Scootin‘ History: The Craft and Stories of Cowboy Boots explores the history and craft of boot making and cowboy boots, shares a behind-the-scenes view into the materials and techniques used, and considers the impact of cowboy boots in country and bluegrass music. With more than 35 of Sorrell’s boots on display – accompanied by personal stories and insights from Sorrell – along with a few cowboy boots connected to industry stars and professionals, visitors will encounter a riot of color and craft, gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation into the boot making tradition and the important place of cowboy boots in country music history.

There will be several complementary programs to go along with Boot Scootin‘ History: The Craft and Stories of Cowboy Boots. Sign up for BCM’s newsletter or pay close attention to the Events page on our website for more information.

This programming is made possible through the support of the United Company Foundation.

About Lisa Sorrell

Sorrell Custom Boots was established in 1996 in historic Guthrie, Oklahoma, by Lisa Sorrell. Lisa is a master bootmaker and fine artist whose canvas is the cowboy boot. Every boot she builds is custom fit and handcrafted for each client. Inspired by the art of the cowboy boot, its heritage and tradition, Lisa’s work has been featured in several books, numerous magazines, and the PBS series “Craft in America.” Distinguished by intricate leather inlay, overlay and topstitching, Sorrell Custom Boots has a reputation of pleasing the most discerning clients with boots that invite investigation and tell a great story.

BOOKS:
Written by Lisa: “The Art of Leather Inlay and Overlay” 2015, Schiffer Publishing
Featured in: “The Art of the Boot” by Tyler Beard, “Cowboy Boots” by Tyler Beard, “Cowboy Boots: The Art and Sole” by Jennifer June, and “Portraits of the American Craftsman” by Tadd Myers

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS:
2022
Oklahoma-themed boots installed at the Oklahoma State Capitol as part of their permanent art collection

2020
Academy of Western Artists
Boot Maker of the Year

2016
International Efficiency Contest of the Shoemaker’s Trade, Wiesbaden, Germany
Award: Gold Medal and Silver Master Cup, Luxury Shoe category

2013
International Efficiency Contest of the Shoemaker’s Trade, Wiesbaden, Germany
Award: Gold Medal, Luxury Shoe category

2011
Western Design Conference, Teton Home and Living Magazine, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Award: Best Artist, Leather category

2010
International Efficiency Contest of the Shoemaker’s Trade, Wiesbaden, Germany
Award: Gold Medal, Luxury Shoe category

2009
“17th Annual Western Design Conference”, Teton Home and Living Magazine, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Award: Honorary Mention, “Art to Wear”

2008
Western Design Conference, Teton Home and Living Magazine, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
“Craft in America”, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

2007
“15th Annual Western Design Conference”, Teton Home and Living Magazine, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Award: Best Artist, “Art to Wear”

2005
“Boot and Saddlemaker’s Roundup”, Eddie and Kathy Kimmel, Wichita Falls, Texas
Award: First Place, Master Category

Dates: March 8-September 30, 2025

Location: Special Exhibits Gallery, Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Artist Ellen Elmes moved to Appalachia over five decades ago, intrigued by the beauty of people and place. She continues to admire the close-knit kinship of families and neighbors, and the reliance of mountaineers on hard work, community, nature, and the grace of God to build a life, and every day she finds wonder in the ethereal beauty of misty mountains, the rhythms of changing seasons, and the expanse of the night sky unobscured by city lights. Many of these elements became the substance of her art.

Ellen Elmes: The Art of Music and Mountains features her creativity across a variety of mediums and themes, from traditional instruments, musicians, and songs to the grandiosity and minutiae of nature. The core of this exhibition – a series of acrylic on canvas, large-scale paintings entitled “Tribute to the Stanley Brothers” and inspired by their songs – is an example of a body of work that awakened in the artist a deeper understanding of the roots, stories, and expression embodied in old-time and traditional songs of the mountains.

Artwork will include examples of acrylic, watercolor, and murals. Objects related to the Stanley Brothers will be on display, including several on loan from the Ralph Stanley Museum in Clintwood, VA. The “Tribute to the Stanley Brothers” series is on loan from the Clintwood Community Hall.

Additional free and low-cost complementary programming supported by the United Company Foundation will be scheduled during the exhibit. 

Dates: August 31 – December 31, 2024

Location: Special Exhibits Gallery, Birthplace of Country Music Museum

More than 30 years ago, photographer Ed Rode met Chet Atkins, one of the greatest figures in country music. Soon they were talking about where to find the good stories on Music Row — specifically, with the talented songwriters whose unseen contributions powered Nashville’s iconic sound. After many conversations, the Songwriter Musician project was born, resulting in “fly-on-the-wall” documentary portraits of a wide range of artists that bring to life the vulnerable, provocative, and unexpected moments inside Nashville’s rich tradition of songwriting. Featured artists include Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Vince Gill, The Chicks, Jelly Roll, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, John Prine, George Strait, and Keb Mo, amongst others.

These photographs will be on display at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum August 31–December 31, 2024, alongside objects and memorabilia related to the artists captured by Rode’s camera. Visit The Museum Store for a copy of Songwriter Musician: Behind the Curtain with Nashville’s Iconic Storytellers and Players, A Photo Documentary by Ed Rode, available for purchase for the duration of the special exhibit.

Check our Events Page for complementary programming to the special exhibit, including:

• Thursday, October 17, 7 p.m. – Songwriters in the Round: Linda and David Lay, Sandy Shortridge, and Rafe Van Hoy
• Saturday, November 9, 7 p.m. – Songwriter Musician Exhibit Talk with Ed Rode and Don Henry

Special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit.