Work is Art and Art is Work

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2007

CONTACT:
Michael Johnson, Director of Communications
816-421-1388
michael@maaa.org

Work is Art and Art is Work explores the work of Missouri Luthiers
New exhibition will tour Missouri, showcasing the art of hand-crafted musical instruments

Kansas City, Mo.— From the Missouri river to the Mississippi, the Ozarks to the northern plains, old-time music is intricately woven into the cultural fabric of the Show-Me State. Accordingly, the Missouri Arts Council (MAC) and the Missouri Folk Arts Program (MFAP) have always showcased the state's master musicians and their old-time tunes and dances.

Work is Art and Art is Work will be presented at seven venues in rural Missouri, opening on May 11 at the West Plains Council on the Arts as a central feature of its 13th Annual Old Time Music and Ozark Heritage Festival. The exhibition will also tour to venues in Excelsior Springs, Kansas City, Republic, California, Chillicothe.

Work is Art and Art is Work: The Art of Hand-crafted Instruments marks the first time Missourians will have the opportunity to view one of the most integral art forms associated with old-time music: the visual artistry of luthiery. Luthiery entails the intricate carving and crafting of fiddles, guitars, mandolins, banjos, and dulcimers.

The state’s old-time music heritage originated with trappers, traders and settlers who brought the light-weight fiddle to the region in the late 1700s. Today, more than twenty notable luthiers carry on the legacy by practicing their art in Missouri. Six have been recognized in Missouri’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, and their work is featured in this exhibit.

Work is Art explores hand-crafted instruments, including a “walking cane” dulcimer, mandolin, and “doghouse” bass fiddle, as well as 15 luthier tools. Viewers will also enjoy candid portraits of the luthiers in their work spaces—studios, shops and porches in the Missouri settings that foster these remarkable artists.

Work is Art is organized by the Missouri Arts Council and the Missouri Folk Arts Program, a program of MAC and the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Deborah A. Bailey of the Missouri Folk Arts Program serves as curator. The exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. Founded in 1972, Mid America is a nonprofit regional arts organization based in Kansas City, Missouri.

For more information, please contact Andrew Graham at (816) 421-1388, ext. 225.

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