Arts Council
A special exhibit of stringed instruments and the people who make them to be featured at the Scott County Arts & Cultural Center

FRANKFORT, Ky.  — The exhibit Made to be Played: Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers will be on display May 3 – June 6, 2011, in the gallery of the Scott County Arts & Cultural Center, 115 N. Water St., Georgetown, Ky. Dulcimer players Betty Ratcliffe and Marty Walker will perform for the opening on May 3.

This special exhibit features the art and traditions of Kentuckians who are considered masters in the making and repairing of guitars, fiddles, banjos, mandolins, dulcimers and other original stringed instruments. Made to be Played: Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers was first exhibited in 2007 at the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea and is the result of years of research and fieldwork by the Kentucky Folklife Program. Since then, it has been on tour throughout the Commonwealth, reaching more than 25 different sites including arts centers, history centers, libraries, state parks, festivals, colleges and universities. The exhibit also has a companion website at http://1.usa.gov/KACluthier.

“I am absolutely thrilled about the luthier exhibit coming to our center,” said Dr. Carolann Freid, director of the Scott County Arts & Cultural Center. “I moved here about five years ago and one of the first things I did was buy a dulcimer. I had lived and worked in Tennessee for many years, and from that experience one of the things that I treasured most was the music from the hills and mountains of Appalachia. The Arts & Cultural Center is honored to host this exhibit.”

While Made to be Played is on display, the Scott County Arts & Cultural Center will also have a retrospective show of folk artists Jessie and Ronald Cooper and a hands-on display using 30 i-pods to feature old-time music and images of Kentucky folk art. Additionally, on May 24 the center will host an open mic event — inviting the public to come, listen, play instruments, read poetry and enjoy the arts.

The exhibit is free and the center is open to the public Tuesday – Saturday, noon – 4 p.m. Groups may schedule other times by appointment. For more information, call 502-570-8366.

Made to be Played: Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers was originally funded through an American Masterpieces grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Touring support is provided by the Kentucky Arts Council. For information about scheduling the exhibit for public display in your community, contact Mark Brown, folklife specialist, at mark.brown@ky.gov or 502-564-1792, ext. 4491.

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The Kentucky Folklife Program identifies, documents, conserves and presents the Commonwealth's diverse cultural traditions through concerts, exhibits, narrative stages, archives, grant programs and classroom and community partnerships. It is an interagency program of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council supported with state tax dollars and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.