Art Shows

Behind a row of sculptures in a quiet corner of the 58th Annual Boone County Art Show , a “Tiger Burning Bright” banjo patiently hangs inviting the inquisitive eyes of patrons. This feline 5- stringer is named after one of the BRC founder`s  favorite poems written by  William Blake (1757-1827).

Although there were over 200 works on display in the weekend exhibit, a visitor remarked at the opening reception that it was one year ago that a BRC banjo first made its daring initial appearance at this yearly juried show of diverse paintings and other creative works.

Under propitious autumnal skies a few miles away, the quaint village of Arrow Rock held its 49th Annual Heritage Festival. The nostalgic architecture of this sleepy 19th century community served as the movie set for the musical `Adventures of Tom Sawyer` and for scenes in the subsequent `Huckleberry Finn` sequel film.

The BRC founder and his pickin` pals were invited to provide  traditional Missouri music for the festival goers in front of the historic Christian Church built in 1872. In the film adaptation of Mark Twain`s classic novel, this is the church where Tom and Huck show-up alive at their funeral to the astonishment of the mourning congregation.

Although it was an unseasonably balmy Saturday for celebrating the changing colors of the autumn  landscape, Sunday brought overnight thunderstorms introducing surprisingly chilly breezes to our Show-Me state.

Our community  summer art show this year challenged the artists with the theme `Eclipse` to celebrate the complete solar eclipse anticipated on August 21st which will be  fully visualized in the mid Missouri area. Both the BRC founder and his wife successfully entered works into the seasonal exhibit. At the gala opening reception,  a “Solar Moon”  banjo was hung by the main entrance, and patrons initially breezed by it.

In the next room, attendees showed more interest in a  “Moonshot” painting by the BRC founder`s wife (standing far right).

As the evening went on, however, some guests were slowly drawn back to study the `mixed media` banjo. The reception hostess soon reported that a polite `fight` emerged when two potential customers simultaneously wanted to purchase the 5-stringer.

This unexpected conumdrum was mediated when the BRC founder offered the option that he had just finished a `Golden Eagle` banjo which was for sale in his workshop,  and this alternative resolved the cordial contention to everyone`s satisfaction.

A juried art show in our community entitled “Comestible” challenged local artists to fashion works based on a food theme. Initially, the BRC founder misread the title as `Combustible` and worried that a banjo entry might be viewed as potential firewood. After later consulting a dictionary, he learned that `comestible` is defined as meaning `edible` and can be used as a noun or a verb. As a student of Shakespeare in his younger days, the BRC banjo craftsman remembered Duke Orsino opening the play “Twelfth Night” with the stirringly romantic injunction, “If music be the food of love, play on….”. This became an artful link for him to build a 5 stringer with a traditional fleur-de-lise mother of pearl emblem of heraldry on the peg head and majestic pearly crowns of royalty on the fretboard.

When it was finished, this regal banjo was quietly entered into the juried art show under the category of mixed media bearing the title “Music Be The Food Of Love” with hopes that the judge might value the literary connection. Incredibly, the plan worked!

This lone but handsome banjo now boldly hangs in the community art gallery from March 14 until May 5 along side a raft of impressionist paintings of foodstuffs. It must have been the Luck of the Irish.

At the second art show in as many months, the BRC founder is again bravely exhibiting another banjo entered under the `mixed media` category.  His 5 string  “Swallow-Tailed Kite” now hangs among an eclectic assortment of 120 other works representing a wide array artistic endeavors.

Time will tell whether luck and a judge`s ribbon might find this solitary banjo, or if a holiday buyer might purchase it for the upcoming gift-giving Season. Reactions to this 5 string instrument are varied but generally surprisingly positive, probably  because of its novel appearance in this unlikely setting.

One pundit remarked that if there were enough stray banjoists and maverick pickers who dared to push back the frontiers of their humble instrument as a multifaceted object d`art, they should establish a support group to be named “5 Strung-Out.”

If all goes well in this current exhibition, the BRC founder has preliminary plans for a submission to a third art show early next year. In the meantime, the workshop staff  wishes our faithful readership all blessings at Thanksgiving time.

P.S. The `Kite` banjo was purchased by a patron on the evening of the exhibit gala opening.

At a recent community art show, one of the BRC founder`s banjos was entered and placed in the exhibit under the category of `mixed media`.

Amidst a field of 200 abstract paintings, abstruse sculptures,  and boldly textured works of fiber art, the homespun 5 string “Show-Me  Sun Flower” was viewed with curious interest. The BRC founder wondered  how discerning  visitors and staff would receive this folk instrument.

Questions floated about: Is a banjo tinkerer a hobbyist, a craftsman, or an artist? What is art? Where do form and function overlap and diverge? Should an acoustic instrument be valued primarily for its visual presentation, playability, tone, or the music that it  projects; or some combination of all these features?

On the evening before the show opened, the staff held a wine and cheese fundraiser in the exhibit hall for potential buyers to inspect the wares. One seasoned guest puzzled over the Sun Flower and remarked,  “Art is for art`s sake,” and moved on to examine the next work.

Before the end of the sneak preview gala, however, a staff member/artist reserved purchase of the “Show-Me Sunflower”  for pick-up at the end of the weekend exhibit. The bold red dot on the wall sticker title tag indicates the item is sold.

Although the Sun Flower did not garner a ribbon in the art show competition, its unexpected and early sale has prompted the BRC founder to enter his “Swallow-Tailed Kite” banjo (named after the acrobatic bird of prey in the southeastern US) in another local art contest next month. More later.

From the BRC: In the meantime,  y`all keep on pickin`.