What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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JENNIFER NIXON Arkansas Democrat-Gazette D aa-daa, daa-daa, da-da-da, daa-daa, daa-daa, da-da-da. For many alive and sentient in 1992, those opening chords of Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" conjure up images and feelings of a different time, when then-Gov. Bill Clinton was running for president of the United States and the rock classic was his campaign theme song. Music is one of the biggest spurs to memory. It's a tool, a motivator. "Music is powerful," says Rebecca Tennille, Clinton Presidential Center spokesman. "It can encourage you to do things. It fires you up." That's the point of the exhibit, "Louder Than Words: Rock, Power and Politics," currently on display at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. "You can say something with words," says Karen Herman, vice president of collections and curatorial affairs with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "But when you have music and you join them, they turn into something bigger, something visceral. It's the story of this country and of the world and how these people were able to personalize it and make you feel something that's larger than yourself." The exhibit was curated by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio — where it debuted in 2016 in time for the election — in conjunction with Washington's Newseum. It was already in the works when, serendipitously, Cleveland was announced as the host city for the Republican National Convention. It was on display for that, then moved to the Newseum in time for the 2017 inauguration. In addition to his taste for 1970s-era rock, Clinton also got a great deal of attention for playing the saxophone during an appearance on "The Arsenio Hall Show." A saxophone loaned by Clinton is on prominent display in "Louder Than Words." That's actually how the exhibit came to the Clinton Presidential Center's attention. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame reached out, asking for a saxophone the center could loan them. Center representatives went to view the finished exhibit and decided it would be a perfect fit for a place dedicated to a man who has been called the first rock 'n' roll president. 38 WHAT'S UP! JULY 8-14, 2018 FAQ 'Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics' WHEN — Through Aug. 5; hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday WHERE — Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave. in Little Rock COST — $6-$10 INFO — 501-374-4242, clinton presidentialcenter.com Rock 'N' Roll Presidency 'Louder Than Words' explores music's role in democracy ARTS AWAY See Clinton Page 40 FILE PHOTOS Rock legends' clothing — much of it either loaned by artists or collectors for the exhibit or part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's collection — tells a portion of the story in "Louder Than Words." Handwritten lyrics to "Hands That Built America" written and signed by Bono and The Edge, birthday cards to President Bill Clinton from Bono, letters to members of Fleetwood Mac and signed memorabilia from band members have all been added to the displays to highlight the Clintons' personal connections to some of their favorite artists.