Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum to Explore the Life and Career of Dolly Parton in New Exhibition Opening May 20
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore the life and career of Dolly Parton in a new exhibition, Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker. The exhibit will focus on turning points throughout Dolly’s more than 60-year career where she overcame obstacles and ignored naysayers to become one of the most beloved and widely recognized celebrities across the world. The exhibit will be open from May 20 until Sept. 2026.
"Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame was one of the greatest moments of my life, and being able to have a personal exhibit for the fans that put me there is a very big deal to me," said Dolly. "This seeker is very proud and honored, and I hope you enjoy my journey. I will always love you."
The exhibit will include clothing, awards, handwritten lyrics, instruments, photographs, exclusive interview footage and more. Examples of items to be displayed include:
- Dolly’s first draft of handwritten lyrics to her classic song and #1 country hit “Jolene.”
- A custom-built Gibson five-string banjo with a white metallic finish, rhinestone embellishments and butterfly motifs used by Dolly at performances in 1992 and on her “Halos & Horns Tour” in 2002.
- A Sony portable cassette tape recorder Dolly used when she wrote the songs "I Will Always Love You," "Jolene" and "The Seeker."
- A cowgirl outfit Dolly wore in scenes in the 1980 Hollywood film “9 to 5.”
- Hand-painted and beaded boots, designed by Bambi Breakstone, which Dolly wore at the photoshoot for her 2002 album, Halos & Horns.
- The Kennedy Center Honors medallion Dolly was presented with in 2006 to honor her lifetime of contributions to American culture.
- A Tony Chase-designed lace dress, embellished with pearl beading, Dolly wore when she performed the R&B classic “I’m a Hog for You Baby” as a duet with the Muppets character Miss Piggy on an episode of Dolly’s ABC-TV variety series “Dolly!” in 1987.
- A Lucy Adams-designed dress, with lace sleeves and skirt and a butterfly-shaped rhinestone design, which Dolly wore at appearances on “The Porter Wagoner Show” and the cover of the 1974 album Porter ’n’ Dolly.
- The Gibson L-30 archtop acoustic guitar, built around 1935 — given to Dolly as a gift from her brother Floyd Parton — which she played in the 1991 music video for “Silver and Gold,” from her album Eagle When She Flies.
- The dress, with balloon sleeves, chiffon skirt, bugle beading and rhinestone accents Dolly wore at a 1978 photoshoot by celebrity photographer Harry Langdon Jr. The likeness of her on a Dolly Parton-themed pinball machine, made by Bally in 1979, was based on one of Langdon’s photos of her in this dress.
- A Steve Summers-designed metallic dress, with mesh fabric, spikes and beaded fringe, was worn by Dolly in photos promoting her singles “World on Fire” and "We are the Champions/We Will Rock You," from her 2023 album, Rockstar.
- The Andreas-designed, rhinestone-covered platform mules Dolly wore at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2019. The ceremony included a tribute to Dolly, in which Miley Cyrus, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Katy Perry performed a medley of her songs. Dolly joined them onstage to sing “Jolene” with Cyrus.
- Designed for Dolly by Lucy Adams, a pantsuit with bell sleeves, bell bottoms and rhinestone-and-bead embellished floral shapes, worn by Dolly when she toured with her Traveling Family Band in 1975, and on the cover of Dolly, her 1975 album also known as The Seeker/We Used To.
“After accomplishing enough for three lifetimes, Dolly Parton continues to astound and amaze us with her boundless talent, her vivacious wit and her tremendous generosity,” said Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Like all great artists, Dolly has demonstrated consistently that she can transform adversity and setbacks into works of stunning beauty and insight into the human condition.”
Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker will explore many times during Dolly’s life where her persistence established a pattern to not let critics or business-as-usual policies discourage the pursuit of her dreams. Some of the themes include:
- At age 13, Dolly made her Grand Ole Opry debut, but only after she and her uncle Bill Owens persuaded singer Jimmy C. Newman to give her one of his time slots after an Opry manager refused to schedule her, citing her youth.
- After establishing herself in Nashville, Dolly resisted advice from record executives who warned that her flamboyant fashions would overshadow her talent — determined to present herself as boldly as she dreamed as a young girl with a vivid imagination and a desire to stand apart and experience life beyond the Smoky Mountains.
- When Dolly collaborated with L.A. pop producer Gary Klein for her 1977 album Here You Come Again, many in the Nashville community accused her of abandoning country music in search of pop success. The album became Dolly’s first million-selling album, earning her first Grammy Award and led to her film debut as Doralee Rhodes, in Jane Fonda’s upcoming film “9 to 5,” when Fonda heard Dolly’s hit “Two Doors Down” from the album.
- To encourage an interest in reading in children five and under in Servier County and to honor her father, who never learned to read but insisted on his children becoming readers, she founded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 — shocking skeptics when 1,700 books reached mailboxes from the first month on. She launched the Dollywood Foundation in 1998, with the Imagination Library as its flagship program, which is now active in all 50 states, as well as in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
An additional display that celebrates Dolly’s community of literacy, created through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, will be presented in the museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center.
Exhibition Companion Book
An illustrated and in-depth exhibit companion book will supplement the gallery presentation, featuring historical photographs and artifacts from the exhibit. Like the exhibit, the book focuses on Dolly overcoming obstacles and critics throughout her life and career. It also includes stories behind four of Dolly’s most well-known songs, in her own words: “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene.” The book is available for presale here and will also be sold in the museum’s store beginning on May 20.
Tickets and Info
Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker will be open from May 20 until Sept. 2026 at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. Access to the exhibit is included with museum admission, with a limited number of timed tickets available each day. Advance reservations are encouraged and ticket availability can be found on the museum’s website. The official exhibit playlist will be available on all major streaming platforms beginning on May 20.
