Exhibits
The Museum's exhibitions interpret the life, death and legacy of President John F. Kennedy in ways that encourage conversation, foster understanding and increase knowledge. The Museum also features exhibits that address related topics supported by the Museum's collections and programs. We invite you to come see for yourself.
Current Exhibits
John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation
On November 22, 1963, the Texas School Book Depository building was the focus of the world's shock, grief, and outrage when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza. John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation occupies the sixth floor where significant evidence of a sniper was found. This exhibition recreates the social and political context of the early 1960s, chronicles the assassination and its aftermath, and recognizes Kennedy's lasting impact on American culture.
Exhibits on the Seventh Floor
Venture up to the seventh floor and view the original sign that once hung over the entrance to the Texas School Book Depository. Also on temporary display are two large-scale photomosaics of President and Mrs. Kennedy by New York artist Alex Guofeng Cao. Each portrait is made up of 50,000 smaller images. Access to the seventh floor is included with Museum admission. Click to explore.
Past Exhibits
Collections Spotlight - Artist Bernadine Stetzel
From 1968 to 1985, Ohio artist Bernadine Stetzel responded to the Kennedy assassination by creating 71 paintings depicting the late president from cradle to grave. This unique collection, painted in naïve style, exemplifies the personal impact the Kennedy assassination had on individuals around the world. This Collections Spotlight features a selection of paintings from Stetzel’s Kennedy Series, accompanied by quotes from her oral history.
March 8 – October 18 2012
A Photographer's Story: Bob Jackson and the Kennedy Assassination
A Photographer’s Story: Bob Jackson and the Kennedy Assassination featured the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Bob Jackson.
February 17, 2009 - October 17, 2010
Call to Action
President John F. Kennedy's frequent encouragement of public service and responsible citizenship provides the basis for Call to Action. Through photographs, artifacts, narrative, and a visual timeline spanning two decades, visitors discover the issues that influenced President Kennedy's "New Frontier," learn about the social movements that he influenced, and meet the people that he inspired.
April 2006 – October 2006
Collections Spotlight - Jack Ruby: "The Man in That Hat"
When Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, millions of television viewers saw a mysterious figure in a hat step from the shadows. Before people knew Ruby's face or name, he was identified by newsmen as "the man in that hat."
November 13, 2010 - August 7, 2011
Covering Chaos
The moments the shots were fired, journalists found themselves in the vortex of an unfolding news story. The assassination of President Kennedy was big, breaking news, and it was the responsibility of the reporters to get the story. Covering Chaos explores the challenges faced by reporters in covering the Kennedy assassination.
June 2005 – January 2006
Dallas Law Enforcement: Voices from History
More than 300 Dallas police officers, about one-quarter of the total force, were assigned to cover President Kennedy's visit to Dallas on November 22, 1963. Their stories, along with those of the Dallas County sheriff's deputies who worked that fateful weekend, are told in Dallas Law Enforcement: Voices from History.
November 2006 – October 2007
Dealey Plaza: The Front Door of Dallas
Dealey Plaza: The Front Door of Dallas explores the 160-year history of Dallas, its major civic leaders, including John Neely Bryan and G.B. Dealey, and the death of a president. Artifacts and photographs document the growth of Dallas from the 1840s to the dedication of the National Historic Landmark District in 1993.
November 2002 – March 2007
Filming Kennedy: Home Movies from Dallas
Showcasing silent moving images of President Kennedy, from his 1960 presidential campaign through his funeral in 1963, this exhibition is highlighted by 11 amateur films shown in their entirety, including what is perhaps the most internationally recognized home movie, an 8mm film taken by Abraham Zapruder. Filming Kennedy: Home Movies from Dallas also features profiles of the men and women behind the cameras and an interactive education area.
November 2007 – October 2008
Jack Ruby: Voices from History
On November 24, 1963, Jack Ruby shocked the world when he gunned down President Kennedy's accused assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, live on national television. Jack Ruby: Voices from History tells Ruby's story through people who knew him and who had firsthand knowledge of the tragedy and events that followed.
November 2004 – October 2005
Parkland Hospital: Voices from History
Parkland Hospital: Voices from History tells the story of the men and women who had firsthand knowledge of what happened at Parkland Memorial Hospital on November 22, 1963. Through artifacts, photographs and selections from the Museum's Oral History Collection, the exhibition presents eyewitness accounts from that turbulent afternoon.
November 2005 – October 2006
