Congressional Record

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, Midstory is hitting the stage with Congressional Record — alongside amazing partners like the Smithsonian and America250 — to bring you a curated look at our rich musical heritage, state by state.

The Midstory team researched, curated and designed an installation featuring America’s rich musical heritage, state by state, that was displayed at Congressional Record 2026 on May 13th. This bipartisan event took place on Capitol Hill and showcased how music and the arts create space for connection, cooperation, and common purpose.

This installation has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Congressional Record x Midstory 2026 | America's Music History - YouTube

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Congressional Record x Midstory 2026 | America's Music History Midstory

States and Territories

Project Credits

The people behind the scenes who made this project possible.

Writing
Celia Johnson
Yaffa Segal

Editing
Logan Sander

Design
Ruth Chang

Video Trailer
Evan Blenko

Web Design
Alex Lim
Anna DiAsio

Fact Checking
Terri Briskey

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MIDSTORY MEDIA THINKHUB

Midstory is a 501(c)(3) educational media thinkhub with a mission to progress the narrative of the Midwest. We work with diverse and interdisciplinary thinkers to envision the future of our region through storytelling & research.

As an educational media organization, we inform, interpret and inspire in and for the Midwest and believe that our region’s challenges can be our greatest asset to drive renewed interest and human capital into post-industrial cities.