FROM THE CEO

We entered 2022 filled with hope for a fresh start and a return to normalcy. We trusted that the rigors of the pandemic were at last behind us. You trusted that through it all we would maintain our steadfast focus on the mission and continue to be a world-class museum. We deeply appreciate that trust.

What makes a world-class museum? One-of-a-kind collections. Exceptional exhibit design and storytelling. Publications that fascinate and illuminate. Educational programs that advance knowledge and appreciation of our shared culture in the local community and the wider world.

And accreditation. Since 1987, our museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, certifying that we operate according to the highest standards. Of the 33,000 museums nationwide, only three percent are accredited.

Your trust—and the wider public’s trust—in our endeavors has been confirmed. As we detail in this report, 2022 was a banner year for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. We welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors. We acquired new treasures for the collection to hold in the public trust. Our wide-ranging education efforts were recognized with generous gifts and significant awards.

We mounted ambitious, one-of-a-kind exhibitions on Florida Georgia Line, Chris Stapleton, the photography of Raeanne Rubenstein, and the revolutionary, communal phenomenon of Los Angeles country-rock from the 1960s into the 1980s. As we regained our footing, we gradually rebuilt our staff, which was much reduced during the pandemic by necessity.

Yet all was not easy. 2022 was a wrenching year of deeply personal losses in our music community. We lost six Hall of Fame members. Jeff Cook of Alabama. Ralph Emery. Naomi Judd. Jerry Lee Lewis. Loretta Lynn. Pig Robbins. In addition, our longtime colleague and gifted writer Peter Cooper passed away, as did our former colleague Carolyn Tate. We also lost several other talented, irreplaceable souls dear to our hearts, our music, and our community.

We miss each and every one of them. We miss their vibrant presences and their spark of creativity. But we have their life lessons and their enduring legacies of music to hold firmly and to share.

We trust that their music and their stories will continue to illuminate our culture and our everyday struggles to live right and speak truth.

Thank you for your steady, generous support, and for believing in our mission. Your trust in us makes every aspect of this noble enterprise possible and profoundly meaningful.

Keep the faith.

Sincerely,

Kyle Young