The Story of the Supremes
The Story of the Supremes From the Mary Wilson
Collection
April 09
This summer the Assembly Rooms in Bath,
managed by Bath & North East Somerset Council, will be
hosting The
Story of the Supremes From the Mary Wilson
Collection, a V&A exhibition in
collaboration with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland,
Ohio.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of
Motown Records, this spectacular exhibition - which opens on the 25
July and runs until 31 August - will display more than 50 original
stage costumes worn by The Supremes, from the collection of founder
member Mary Wilson. Bath & North East Somerset Council are
especially pleased to announce that Mary Wilson will be in Bath to
open the show.
After the success of last year’s summer
exhibition, Travilla: The man who dressed Marilyn
Monroe, which saw a record number of visitors to the
Assembly Rooms, it is hoped that The Story of The
Supremes will be another show-stopper for Bath.
This highly acclaimed exhibition charts the
changing image of the group throughout their extraordinary career,
from one of the first gowns they purchased when they were known as
the Primettes, to the stunning Hollywood designs worn at the height
of their fame.
Set against the backdrop of the meteoric rise
of Motown Records and of the American civil rights movement, the
exhibition uses original photographs, film footage, magazines and
memorabilia to explore the inspirational role that The Supremes
played in changing racial perceptions.
Their influence on today’s performers is also
examined with the inclusion of a set of costumes worn by Destiny’s
Child and a specially commissioned video interview with the DJ
Trevor Nelson.
There has been substantial interest in the
exhibition from other organizations in the area, coinciding as it
does with the 50th Anniversary of Motown Records. In particular,
live entertainment venue Komedia are planning to hold two Motown
nights, one on Saturday 25th July and the other on the Bank Holiday
weekend 29th August, with DJs and cabaret. The Little Theatre
will be showing Motown related films, and there will be a series of
special family workshops at the Museum, including a ‘Big Hair Day’
with Motown makeovers by top local stylists Artizan. Little Lights
Theatre company will be performing ‘Rock a My Soul’ in the
exhibition space on selected dates in August.
The Story of The Supremes from the
Mary Wilson Collection is promoted and managed by Tourwest
Limited and sponsored by Continental Airlines.
Entry to this special exhibition is included
in the ticket price to the Fashion Museum, http://www.fashionmuseum.co.uk/
, housed in the lower ground floor of the Assembly Rooms. Entry is
free to local residents with a Discovery Card, see http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/ for
details on how to obtain one. The Museum is open 10.30am –
6pm, with last entry 5pm.
.
ENDS
Attached picture: Courtesy of Motown
Records Archive.
For more information contact:
Patricia Dunlop, Commercial Manager, Bath
& North East Somerset Council, 01225 477759, email: patricia_dunlop@bathnes.gov.uk
For images contact:
Maggie Bone, Museums Publicity Officer,
Heritage Services on 01225 477736, email: maggie_bone@bathnes.gov.uk