Gospel Music Museum Announced, Preview Renderings Revealed
The museum is scheduled to open in 2025.
Gospel music lovers have something special on the way. The Nash Today announced in an Instagram post that a gospel music museum is in the works, unveiling a blueprint of the outside of the new space. “Nashville is getting a new music museum — the Dove Center and Gospel Music Museum at 147 4th Ave. N.” the post read in part. “The Gospel Music Association unveiled plans to open the museum in 2025, complete with a theater, interactive spaces, a walk-through timeline of the gospel music industry, and an area highlighting the Gospel Music Hall of Fame’s ~200 members. Stay tuned for updates.”
Gospel Music Association president/executive director Jackie Patillo said in a video about the project: “Developed to preserve the legacy of our historic past, support the impact of today’s artists, and plant seeds for the future, we believe the Dove Center will be a beacon of light for the kingdom of God. It will also be a key part of the GMA’s mission to expose, promote, and celebrate the Gospel through music,” Billboard Magazine reports.
In addition to a preview of what the outside of the building will look like, the video also unvieled plans of what will be featured in the museum, including featuring the Dove Awards, a timeline of the history of the gospel music industry, exhibits highlighting gospel acts’ stories, a Hall of Fame area dedicated to each member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame’s approximately 200 members, and exhibits allowing visitors to create and mix their own inspirational song. The center will feature exhibit areas with iconic titles including Lift Your Voice, Moving Up The Charts and Created to Worship.
The Gospel Music Association, which is responsible for the annual GMA Dove Awards, was founded in 1964. The Dove Awards were conceptualized by singer-songwriter Bill Gaither in four years later in 1968, with the first Dove Awards being held in 1969 in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s been held in Nashville and in Atlanta since.
