The exhibition, displayed in two phases, will focus first on the visitors' connection to Hendrix. Message to Love will give visitors the opportunity to reflect on Hendrix's influence on our culture. The exhibition will feature two iconic Hendrix artifacts, his Woodstock Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Les Paul guitar played by Hendrix in 1963—which he gave to his friend, Larry Lee, who later performed with it at Woodstock. The gallery will house only these two artifacts, and the gallery walls will be transformed into a blank slate for visitors to write comments and reflections. These thoughts will be used to help shape future EMP|SFM exhibitions about Hendrix. Message to Love opens on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008 and closes on Sunday, April 6, 2008.

The second phase of the exhibition, Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound, will focus on the visitor experience and how Hendrix indelibly affected popular music with his unique talents and innovative sound. Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound opens on Saturday, April 26, 2008 and closes on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010.

Specifics of the Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound exhibition:

An iconic guitar wall will display guitars from the EMP|SFM collection, in addition to loaned items, for example: Hendrix's Woodstock Fender Stratocaster and his Saville Theatre and Monterey Pop Festival guitar shards.

A musical and cultural timeline will visualize Hendrix's career, within the larger context of popular culture. It will focus on Hendrix's specific musical experiences (e.g. Northwest music; Chitlin Circuit blues and R&B; New York City's jazz, folk and blues in Greenwich Village; and Swinging London) and how these areas shaped his musical outlook.

A sound effects interactive will demonstrate how Hendrix used effects pedals to create a new instrument out of the guitar.

A mixing interactive will show Hendrix as an innovator and forefather of modern recording technology.

In the Play On Theater, guests will view rare Hendrix films and other footage.

The Jimi Hendrix exhibition space will be located in the No Wasted Notes Gallery on the second level of the museum. This is the gallery space where the original Jimi Hendrix exhibition was located. The gallery currently features Yes Yes Y'all, the exhibition dedicated to the birth of hip hop. The exhibition will be on view from Jan. 26, 2008 to April 6, 2008. -- www.empsfm.org