Instruments of American Excellence

Dead pointe shoes aren't good for much. But the Kentucky Museum has decided to spotlight a couple of iconic pairs as part of their Instruments of American Excellence exhibit. One of the sets is from New York City Ballet principal Sara Mearns, the other from American Ballet Theatre's Julie Kent. They'll be presented along with over 140 pieces of memorabilia such as the underwater camera housing used by Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard, the hammer used by former President Jimmy Carter to build houses for Habitat for Humanity, one of Tony Hawk's earliest skateboards and lab equipment used by Nobel Prize winning scientists. The exhibit opens September 21, and Mearns will be present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. For more info, visit instrumentsofamericanexcellence.com.