Art lovers are well versed in the offerings of The Bascom Center for Visual Arts.
Music lovers may soon get the same familiarity with the facility.
A new exhibition opened on Thursday and the focus of the show is instruments of Appalachia. The fifth installment of the “Craft to Art” series, “Tapping into Tone” by guest curator Jasper Waugh-Quasebarth, PhD. tells the story of mountain music through the craftsmen who create their own instruments.
“I have always been fascinated by music and as a folklorist, when it came time to find my next project, the thought of going out and meeting the makers of traditional instruments and hearing their stories was too good an opportunity to pass up,” Waugh-Quasebarth said. “I knew my first stop had to be my home state of West Virginia, and that is where I started putting together this collection.”
Waugh-Quasebarth, who currently works at the Center for Folklore Studies at Ohio State University, traveled extensively through Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina meeting instrument makers and listening to the music they create.
The exhibition features more than two dozen instruments, in front of pictures of the makers and placards that tell the story of the instrument building process.
Along with the instruments themselves, the exhibit also includes plans for instruments, molds and tools that complement the objects to further illustrate the process and demonstrate the craft’s arduous practices and expressive choices. Sound samples of instruments being played and a school collection of tonewoods round out a multi-sensory experience for visitors to better grasp the art of the craft beyond the visual and spatial aesthetic.
“Our theme for this year is ‘Place’ and when we started the Craft to Art series, the idea was to showcase the aspects of culture that bring a place to life and give it unique character,” The Bascom Executive Director Karin Peterson, PhD. said. “When we heard about the work Jasper was doing, it seemed like the exhibition would be a great fit for us.”
Some of the instruments in the collection are old stand-by pieces that have been played by renowned musicians for hours on end. Others are brand new works of art that have yet to grace a stage.
“Every piece in this exhibition is really one of a kind and you can see that when you get an up-close look,” The Bascom Deputy Executive Director Billy Love said, standing in front of a hand-made banjo. “Some people may not immediately think of instruments as works of art, but seeing the craftsmanship and the attention to detail, I think the pieces in this collection certainly qualify.”
Waugh-Quasebarth noted that his admiration for the finished products on display, was directly tied to the process of building each instrument and the materials used.
“There are several samples of tonewoods here on display that guests can pick up and tap with their fingernail to hear the specific sound that wood produces,” Waugh-Quasebarth said. “Our Appalachian Mountain region produces some incredible species of tonewoods and each is unique in sound and composition. Just learning more about the materials each instrument maker uses, and why they choose the wood they use, was an eye-opening lesson in itself as I traveled around the region.”
“Tapping into Tone” will remain on display in the Bunzl Gallery at The Bascom through Dec. 23. For more information about the exhibition, and future exhibitions, visit thebascom.org.