SD museum with rare instruments seeks $15M revamp

The Associated Press, Sunday, February 17, 2013, 9:40am (PST)

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota college town of about 10,000 is an unlikely place for a wide-ranging collection of musical instruments that includes saxophones built by inventor Adoplhe Sax, a Stradivarius violin with its original neck and a Spanish guitar on which Bob Dylan composed some of his earliest songs.

Grammy-winning fingerpicking guitarist Pat Donohue thinks that's part of the charm.

The National Music Museum has boasted a world-class collection since it was established 40 years ago. Officials now want to build a facility to match.

The museum is looking to raise $15 million over the next few years to triple its gallery space, build a proper lobby and visitor reception area and revamp the vast archives.

The plans recently earned a $500,000 challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.