NMM Discovery Saturday - Vermillion

Jul 5, 2025 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Join us at the National Music Museum (NMM) on Saturday, July 5, for “American Made, American Played,” a special Discovery Saturday celebrating instruments built on American soil and the musicians who made them sing. From jazz and bluegrass to gospel and rock, explore the iconic sounds that helped shape a nation.
Music Storytime kicks off the day at 10:30 a.m. with NMM educator Anna Van Kley reading When the Squirrel Sings by Shana Hollowell. This program is free, thanks to generous support from the M.A. Everist Foundation.

Spotlight Talks will take place on the hour from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Janet Lucille Wanzek Performance Hall, featuring the NMM’s remarkable Liberty Tree Guitar. Each talk will be approximately 10–15 minutes, with Q&A following. A gallery guide highlighting instruments that were made—and played—in America will also be available.

The NMM’s Liberty Tree Grand Theater Model Guitar, a limited-edition instrument crafted from a 400-year-old tulip poplar that once stood in Annapolis, Maryland. Named after the original Boston elm that became a symbol of the American Revolution, the tree was transformed into 400 Liberty Tree guitars after it fell in 1999. The NMM’s guitar—a gift from the Lynn and Steve Dillon Collection (NMM 15565)—honors this powerful legacy.

All Discovery Saturday activities are included with museum admission. Veterans and active-duty U.S. military personnel and their families receive free admission through the Blue Star Museums program, a nationwide collaboration of the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the Department of Defense.

Discovery Saturdays take place on the first Saturday of each month, offering unique programming and guided experiences throughout the museum.

The National Music Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Fee: $Included with Museum Admission

Celebrate American Sound at the National Music Museum’s July Discovery Saturday