Current

The Curious World of Patent Models
Courtest of the Rothschild Patent Model Collection. Tour Management by Smith Kramer Fine Art Services, Kansas City, Missouri

Open to the public through March 31, 2013
From the time the U.S. Patent Office was founded in 1790 and throughout the industrial revolution, inventors were required to submit a working, scale model for their invention when applying for a patent. This exhibit features 50 of these original antique models, including everything from the first patented rocking chair to the first burglar alarm.

Upcoming Exhibit

Legends and Legacies: The First 100 Years of Fullerton College
Fullerton College Centennial Exhibit organized and curated by Fullerton College

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 27
6:00-9:00pm
$10 admission/Free for Museum members
This exhibit will explore the historical, social, and cultural growth of the college and its relationship with Orange County through personal histories and collections.

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Leo Fender Gallery

Low Down on the Uproar: Leo's Electric Basses

When the Telecaster, Fender’s first solidbody electric, proved to be a success, Leo Fender turned his attention towards a fully electric bass guitar. He had the finished product—the Precision Bass―in hand in 1951. Music was never the same. 

The Precision Bass rounded out what would soon be known as the rock ’n’ roll combo. It added a foundation for the electric guitars and drums. As Leo’s partner Don Randall once said: “When we got the bass where it could compete in volume with the guitars and drums, well, then we had something.” The stage was set literally for the music revolution of the 1950s and 1960s.  

The electric bass, perhaps Leo’s biggest coup, had an immeasurable impact on music. This exhibition will showcase the instruments he brought to the world, Fender, Music Man, and G&L basses. It will follow Leo’s inventions and refinements up to 1991.