The Great American Songbook Foundation Will Host a Monthly Saturday Open House at its Songbook Exhibit Gallery

The Great American Songbook Foundation will host a monthly Saturday open house at its Songbook Exhibit Gallery this year to make a timely new exhibit available to more visitors.

Coinciding with the 2020 national election cycle, Of Thee I Sing: Politics on Stage features images, audio, artifacts and activities exploring political and patriotic themes in the worlds of musical theater and popular music. Musicals highlighted in the exhibit include Of Thee I Sing (1931), Camelot (1960), 1776 (1969), 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976) and the recent smash Hamilton: An American Musical (2015). Admission is free to the gallery at the Palladium, accessible via the West Lobby elevator near the Box Office.

The new weekend events will take place noon to 4 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month, beginning Jan. 11 and continuing through Oct. 10 in conjunction with the monthly Carmel Arts & Design District Second Saturday Gallery Walk.

The gallery will maintain its standard weekday hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and prior to select concerts at the Palladium.

A traveling version of Of Thee I Sing: Politics on Stage is available free of charge for display by schools, libraries and other community organizations. More information is available at (317) 844-2251 or info@TheSongbook.org.

For classroom use, local educator Sue Ackley has launched a blog series, Teaching Notes, which provides discussion points, lesson plans and other resources to help teachers use the exhibit to explore political themes with their students. The posts are available at TheSongbook.org/blog.

CALENDAR: MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

Great American Songbook Exhibit Gallery

Of Thee I Sing: Politics on Stage

On display through November 2020

The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts, 1 Center Green, Carmel IN 46032

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; noon to 4 p.m. the second Saturday of each month; and one hour prior to select Palladium performances

Admission: Free

Information: (317) 844-2251 or TheSongbook.org