The
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is going on the road to New York -- the
city that spawned Hip-Hop and gave Bob Dylan and the Ramones their
start.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday that the Cleveland-based
museum is opening an annex in downtown Manhattan. It is the first
of several planned outposts that will take its collection of artifacts
to a wider audience, possibly as far as the Middle East.
Billy Joel and Clive Davis joined the mayor at the location in SoHo
where the branch will open in November. Joel, who said he was donating
some memorabilia to the museum, recalled how he has played every
New York venue from Carnegie Hall to Shea Stadium.
''New York gave me my words and my music, and Rock ‘n’
Roll gave me a place for that music to live,'' Joel said.
The 25,000-square-foot annex will house Bruce Springsteen's 1957
Chevy and will feature a number of different exhibits, including
one with sites around the city that have musical significance.
''There
really isn't a more fitting spot for this museum than New York,
the hometown of hall of famers like the Velvet Underground, Paul
Simon, and Blondie ... this is where Ed Sullivan met the Beatles,
where Lou Reed took a walk on the wild side,'' Bloomberg said.
Museum officials are counting on the branches to provide new revenue
streams, attract more philanthropy dollars and entice more people
to visit the hall of fame in Cleveland.
Another annex being planned for Las Vegas will be located on or
near the Strip and will be less focused on Rock artifacts and more
entertainment oriented, according to Terry Stewart, president and
CEO of the Rock museum. A city has not been selected for the proposed
Middle East branch.
The annexes mark the museum's first effort to build a presence outside
of Cleveland. The concept follows a trend set by other museums like
the Guggenheim and the Louvre, and comes in a year when the hall
has announced some notable changes, including a major interior renovation
of its lakefront museum and the return of the induction ceremony
to Cleveland in 2009 after more than a decade-long absence. Most
of the ceremonies had been held in New York City.
Among the planned exhibits is ''New York Rocks,'' which is dedicated
to Big Apple artists such as Joel and the Talking Heads' David Byrne.
The exhibit will feature an interactive map of musically significant
Manhattan locations such as Studio 54 and the landmarked Chelsea
Hotel, whose guests and residents have included many famous artists
and musicians including the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious. The front
awning and cash register of the recently closed club CBGB will be
on display.
A number of exhibits that appeared in Cleveland will also make their
way to New York, beginning with the museum's look at the Clash.
Other exhibits will give visitors a sample of the hall's collection
and prod visitors to either visit the main museum or provide philanthropic
support. Attendance
at the Rock hall was 451,000 in 2007, up 8 percent from 2006, but
still way down from the 872,700 who visited in 1996, its first full
year in operation.
Admission at the New York annex will be $26 for adults. The Cleveland
museum charges $22 for adult admission.
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