Arts Council
A special exhibit of stringed instruments and the people who make them featured at the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts

Press Release Date:  Thursday, November 10, 2011  
Contact Information:  Lisa Cleveland
Kentucky Historical Society
502-564-1792, ext. 4489
lisa.cleveland@ky.gov

Ed Lawrence
Communications Director
502-564-3757, ext. 473
ed.lawrence@ky.gov
www.artscouncil.ky.gov
 


The exhibit “Made to be Played: Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers” will be on display Nov. 17 – Dec. 17, 2011, at the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, 2000 College Drive, Madisonville, Ky.

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 nearly 30 different sites including arts centers, history centers, libraries, museums, state parks, festivals, colleges and universities. The exhibit also has a companion website at http://artscouncil.ky.gov/KentuckyArt/LuthierExhibit.htm.

“The Glema Center is thrilled to be able to coordinate this exhibit with our annual Elementary Student Art Exhibit,” said Brad Downall, executive director of the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts. “The students are to create art based on the theme of music. The two separate exhibits should complement each other nicely.”

Beginning Nov. 17, the exhibit will be open for viewing weekdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and on performance days and evenings. For a full schedule of the center’s events, visit www.glemacenter.org.

“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.

- # -

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.