PAUL SIMON: WORDS & MUSIC Exhibition Set for Skirball Cultural Center in 2017

The Skirball Cultural Center announced today the spring/summer 2017 presentation of Paul Simon: Words & Music, a traveling exhibition curated by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and making its only West Coast stop at the Skirball.

Developed based on exclusive interviews with the artist, the show will walk visitors through Simon's life and music and illuminate his creative process. On view will be instruments, records, sheet music, handwritten lyrics, photography, costumes, and stage maquettes, as well as listening stations and performance footage spanning Simon's six-decade career.

Exclusively for the Los Angeles presentation, Paul Simon: Words & Music will include additional artifacts from Simon's private archive and a newly created music lab developed by the Skirball in cooperation with Roland Corporation. The exhibition opens at the Skirball on April 27 and runs through September 10, 2017.

Paul Simon (b. 1941) has spent his life making music. From his first compositions as a teen and his celebrated work in Simon & Garfunkel to his transformative collaborations with world musicians up to and including his current work, Simon's evolution has been grounded in a lifelong quest to find the words, music, and rhythms that connect most deeply with listeners. Through his songs, he has captured the story of generations and the mood of the nation, from disillusionment and fear to hope and compassion. As the exhibition reveals, he stands as a sterling example of the power of music to reflect social and cultural ideals and to communicate them to the rest of the world.

In choosing Simon among its "Greatest Songwriters of All Time," Rolling Stone hailed, "If Paul Simon's career had ended with the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel in 1970, he would still have produced some of the most beloved songs ever.... But Simon was just getting started. The quintessential New York singer-songwriter, he switches between styles effortlessly with as much attention to rhythm as melody, a rare quality among artists who came of age in the folk era. Over the decades, his music has incorporated Tin Pan Alley tunecraft, global textures, gentle acoustic reveries, gospel, R&B and electronic music, all without diluting his core appeal as an easeful chronicler of everyday alienation."

Paul Simon: Words & Music will be organized chronologically, with specially themed sections that cover Simon's early years and Simon & Garfunkel period, his acclaimed solo work since 1971, and his songwriting process. In the newly developed music lab, visitors will experience Simon's recordings firsthand, inviting music fans to experiment with them by playing acoustic guitar, manipulating rhythms on a mixing console, and harmonizing with Simon on one of his most popular tunes.

The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. We welcome people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society.

The Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. Museum hours: Tuesday-Friday 12:00-5:00 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; closed Mondays and holidays. Admission to exhibitions: $12 General; $9 Seniors, Full-Time Students, and Children over 12; $7 Children 2-12. Exhibitions are always free to Skirball Members and Children under 2. Exhibitions are free to all visitors on Thursdays. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit skirball.org. The Skirball is also home to Zeidler's Café, which serves innovative California cuisine in an elegant setting, and Audrey's Museum Store, which sells books, contemporary art, music, jewelry, and more.

Pictured: Paul Simon c. 1975. Photo by Edie Baskin. Courtesy of Paul Simon.

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