Press Releases | Mar, 12 2014
LBJ Presidential Library Opens New Exhibit – Sixty from the ‘60s
Icons of the ‘60s – Dylan to the Beatles, Goldwater to LBJ, MLK to Hugh Hefner
Opening: Saturday, March 15, 2014
Closing: January 4, 2015
(AUSTIN, TX) - Sixty from the '60s presents a unique look at a fascinating array of 60 Americans who can be credited with molding the movements, trends, and lifestyles of the 1960s, a pivotal period in history. In each major area of the American experience – politics and government, social activism and civil rights, business and industry, science and health, arts, sports, and entertainment - these individuals broke new ground, creating a legacy that continues to make a difference today. This group not only helped shape the 1960s but also established the foundation on which twenty-first American culture stands.
For each person named as an icon of the 1960s, the exhibit features a signature item related to the individual. See original lyrics written by Bob Dylan, a Telstar satellite, a dress worn by Jacqueline Kennedy, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s communications headset, a boxing glove worn and signed by Muhammad Ali, and an original Peanuts comic strip – just to name a few items in the exhibit.
Lyndon Johnson was President from 1963 to 1969, the most culturally and politically relevant era of the Twentieth Century. It was a turbulent yet hopeful time.
• The Civil Rights Movement became a political and moral force. Martin Luther King, Jr., outlined a dream, marchers gained national attention in Washington, D. C. and Selma, and President Johnson signed three of the most important civil rights bills since Reconstruction.
• Bill Cosby, one of the icons in the ‘60s exhibit, has loaned the Emmy awarded to him for his role in the TV show “I Spy” to the Library for display. He was the first African-American man to receive a Primetime Emmy award for the program, which aired from 1965-1968. "Lyndon Baines Johnson ushered through the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act – which were crucial to realizing equality for all Americans. Think about it ladies and gentlemen, how many of the things are they trying to overturn today. LBJ was clearly a great humanitarian." - Bill Cosby
• The space race mesmerized the country, culminating with man landing on the moon in 1969.
• War raged in Vietnam and young people rioted in the street and college campuses.
• It was a time of innovation – the Telstar satellite, the birth control pill.
• Ideas were revolutionary and rocked social norms – the mini-skirt, Playboy magazine. Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy, is one of the icons in the exhibit and visitors will see his silk pajamas, red velvet slippers along with one of his signature pipes. “The ‘60s was a tumultuous decade, but one that led to some of our country’s greatest victories toward shaping our sexual freedoms, first amendment rights, and racial equality,” said Hugh Hefner, Playboy magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief. “I’m proud that Playboy served as a platform for these conversations and honored to be included in this special exhibit.”
One lasting legacy of the ‘60s – the music. Bob Dylan used his songs as a catalyst for social change, Aretha Franklin made Motown mainstream, and the Beatles came to America.
As visitors walk into the exhibit, they can choose one of 60 songs on a jukebox. Those songs are the soundtrack of the exhibit. In partnership with the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, these top 60 songs of the 60s were chosen by renowned musicians, music historians, and the public.
"Sixty from the ‘60s" is sponsored by University Federal Credit Union.
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