Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Kyle Young, president of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, accepts the National Medal of Arts from President and First Lady Biden. Photo courtesy of White House
Bio
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Nashville, Tennessee, has been called the "Smithsonian of country music," celebrated for its broad cultural impact, educational mission, and unrivaled collection of historically important artifacts. Chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964, the nonprofit museum has worked to collect, preserve, and interpret the evolving history of country music through exhibits, publications, educational programs, and more. As the world's largest repository of country music history, the museum teaches its diverse audiences about the enduring beauty and cultural importance of the art form. As one of the most visited history museums in the country, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum welcomed more than 1.6 million visitors in 2023 and offered more than 1,200 educational programs, including its flagship Words & Music program, which promotes language arts by pairing professional songwriters with school classrooms to create original songs. In addition, the museum offers the 7,500-square-foot Taylor Swift Education Center on-site for students, teachers, and families, as well as dedicated performance spaces in the CMA Theater and the Ford Theater, both of which regularly host nationally recognized live music and cultural events. The museum's Frist Library and Archive houses the world's largest collection of country music artifacts and serves as a research hub for understanding the genre's history and impact. The museum also operates the Grammy Award-winning Country Music Foundation Records, the Country Music Foundation Press, Historic RCA Studio B, Haley Art Gallery, and the 145-year-old Hatch Show Print letterpress print shop.
White House citation:
For cataloging one of the Nation’s great homegrown art forms. As the world’s largest repository of country music history, in the country music capital of Nashville, Tennessee, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum preserves history, honors giants of the genre, and inspires future generations to write their own songs about the American story.
Our museum and country music itself were both born of humble beginnings—an origin that made it common for many to dismiss the art form or any careful study of it. The National Medal of Arts is a treasured validation of our longtime commitment to the music's cultural significance, even when our work was not considered a serious endeavor. For more than a century, this music has given voice to the thoughts, feelings, hardships, triumphs, and values of our country's people. This prestigious recognition, to me, says that our institution is on the right track—collecting, studying, and cherishing country music while holding to a broad approach including all forms of American vernacular music in its narrative. The institution's achievements have not come without a fair share of challenges and risks, but resilience was born out of humble beginnings—for both the music and its museum. And the story is still being written. With country music now recognized and received globally, our role has not changed. We will continue to preserve and interpret its past, present, and future, while holding it carefully in the public trust for future generations.