Dolly Parton Commemorates 50 Years as a Member of the Grand Ole Opry With New Kirkland’s Collection

Jenna Sims

This year, country music icon Dolly Parton will celebrate 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Tennessee-based home retailer Kirkland’s worked with Dolly to create an exclusive canvas wall art collection to commemorate the special occasion. The collection titled Dolly Parton: From the HeART includes nine pieces, eight of which are inspired by Parton’s iconic songs and one iconic performance photograph from the Ryman Auditorium.

Courtesy of Kirkland's
Courtesy of Kirkland's

Southern Living interviewed Dolly Parton exclusively about the collection and on celebrating 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry:

What does it mean to you to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry?
“One of my earliest memories is of sitting around listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio with Momma and Daddy in the hills of East Tennessee. To now be celebrating 50 years as a member is unbelievable. I am so blessed to see this dream come true, and to be honest with you, it’s very overwhelming.”

What is your favorite memory from the Grand Ole Opry?
“I have so many, it’s hard to pick just one, but, a very special one was meeting Johnny Cash. I had such a crush on him and to meet him in person was amazing. I was fortunate enough to count him as a friend for many, many years after that.”

What is your favorite piece from the collection?
“Lord, that’s like asking somebody to pick their favorite child. I think all of them are perfect for what they represent. As a songwriter, you hope that people will feel something from your songs, this art project with Kirkland’s has been a whole new way to interpret my music. I couldn’t be happier with the results.”

How did you decide what songs would be interpreted in the collection?
“Boy was it hard to choose. I’ve written over 3,000 songs so there’s a lot of material to pick from. Some of my songs can be literally interpreted, like "Blue Valley Songbird" or "Cracker Jack." Others are meant to be more personal for each listener. We wanted this collection at Kirkland’s to be a little of both. I truly hope people love it and get some joy every time they see it on their walls.”

WATCH: Dolly Parton and Hallmark Are Teaming up for the Christmas Movie of Our Dreams!

The collection ranges from $99.99 to $129.99 and is available to shop now at kirklands.com. A portion of proceeds of the limited-edition works will benefit the Opry Trust Fund, whose mission is to help those in the country music industry in times of extraordinary need.