Exhibit on rock music and politics coming to broadcast museum

Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics

A traveling multimedia exhibit exploring how rock and roll has influenced politics and social movements around the world will open in late May at Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics, curated by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Newseum in Washington, D.C., combines video, photographs, artifacts and interactive elements to examine the role of music in reflecting society through 11 presidential administrations — from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama.

Featuring interviews with Bono, David Byrne, Dee Snider, Tom Morello, Lars Ulrich, Gloria Estefan, Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter and others, the exhibit focuses on civil rights, LGBTQ issues, feminism, war and peace, censorship, political campaigns, social causes and international politics.

In addition to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Newseum, the traveling exhibit has appeared at the presidential libraries of Gerald Ford in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Bill Clinton in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Located at 360 North State Street in River North, the Museum of Broadcast Communications last week concluded the 18-month run of Saturday Night Live: The Experience.

Paul Vallas

In other news, Paul Vallas, the former mayoral candidate and former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, has joined the board of the museum.

Vallas will lend his expertise and resources to help the museum teach media literacy, according to board chairman Larry Wert. Starting next year, the museum plans to initiate an educational program on how to analyze news and identify news sources.

“It is a privilege and a pleasure to be joining the board of such a revered enterprise," Vallas said in a statement. "I look forward to helping advance the museum’s mission and contribute to its growth.”