SANTA ANA, CA.- The year 1968 was a turning point for a generation coming of age and a nation at war, and the aftermath can still be felt today. A major traveling exhibit that explores the causes and legacies of the year’s non-stop barrage of events is on display at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana June 14 through September 14, 2015.

Developed by the Minnesota History Center, in partnership with the Atlanta History Center, the Chicago History Museum and the Oakland Museum of California, The 1968 Exhibit is an ambitious, multimedia exhibit that looks at how the events of the year have fueled a persistent, if often contradictory sense of identity for the people who were there and those who came after.

A National Dialogue
“Discussions about the impact and legacy of 1968 are being had at dinner tables, in classrooms and on the streets of America,” says Tom Brokaw, honorary chair of The 1968 Exhibit, former anchor and managing editor of the “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw,” and author of Boom! Talking About the Sixties. “It is time to document this watershed year through the voices of the people who experienced it firsthand, and to hear from the next generation about what it means to them.”

Organized chronologically by the months of the year, the 5,000-squarefoot exhibit will transport visitors back to 1968. The experience begins in January with a Huey helicopter that has “landed” in a living room. The sights and sounds of this media-saturated age fill the exhibit and stories from the people who were there are shared throughout. Three interactive “lounges” focus on music, design, and movies and television. “It was quite a year for indelible television,” says James Comisar, curator of The Comisar Collection and one of the major resources for artifacts in the exhibit. “We all have our own great memories bundled in with classic TV shows and characters. Objects from ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Mission: Impossible,’ ‘LaughIn’ and ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour’ provide another personal connection to this evocative year and exhibition. Visitors can use mobile devices to access an online calendar of 1968 events, film footage and oral history excerpts. A kiosk in the gallery allows access to the same content. A website at www.the1968exhibit.org provides a place for ongoing discussions about the lasting impact of the year.

The 1968 Exhibit includes a slate of school and public programs, website and companion book.