BRC Activities

At the beginning of each new calendar year, the inaugural exhibit at the community art league gallery is themed on the subject of food. This January, the so-called food show is entitled “Devour” and focuses on artists` perceptions of appetites and favorite culinary delights. In February, this exhibit will host a yearly fund raising event called “Let Them Eat Art” which is catered by local restauranteurs in a competition to produce the most flavorful finger food and beverage as determined by the voting of gallery visitors. The BRC craftsman constructed the “Honey Bee” banjo for the juried art show.

The peghead and fretboard display the busy honey bee, its hive, the queen`s crown, a honey jar, and nectar-filled flowers. In scientific nomenclature, the honey bee belongs to the genus Apis of the bee clade. These industrious winged creatures came from Afro-Eurasia to North America in the early 17th century, and they are commercially valued producers of honey and wax. Honey bees sting usually in defense of themselves or their colony, and they are fated to succumb shortly after inflicting a sting.

At the gala food show opening reception on a wintry night, visitors closely study the Honey Bee which garnered  a ribbon in the adjudicated competition. During his initial decade of banjo building, the BRC craftsman installed only mother of pearl inlays; but in recent years, he has converted to laser-cut wood inlays made mostly of  birch.

Like all BRC 5-stringers, the heel of the neck on the Honey Bee bears special inlays for the eyes only of the musician. On the rim nearby is an inscription (inverted) indicating that this instrument is the 102nd banjo built in our shop. Since 2016, over forty BRC banjos have appeared in local art shows.

From the BRC: Enjoy the best of food and health in 2024.

The hummingbird is a familiar visitor to the BRC domicile, as red sweet water feeders are stationed on our upper deck every summer to attract these flighty avians. The below photo was taken with a cellphone by speedily photographing multiple images to capture a freeze-frame of the hyperkinetic fluttering of the bird`s wings.This autumn, a Humming Bird banjo was crafted in the BRC workshop for the 64th Annual Central Bank of Boone County Art Show. The peghead head featured feathery birds airily fluttering to and fro. In the scientific nomenclature, this specie is categorized as belonging to the Order of Apodiformes, the Suborder of Trochili, and the Family of Trochilidae.

Flowers appear on the truss rod cover and fretboard representing the vital food source of nectar that fuels the birds` high-powered energy requirements during flight. For the winter months, hummingbirds migrate south via a long airborne journey to Mexico or Central America.

BRC banjos feature an inlay on the heel of the neck for the eyes only of the musician. Adjacent to the below (inverted) flowery image appears an inscription indicating that the Humming Bird is the 100th banjo produced by the BRC workshop. Since the inception of the Banjo Rehabilitation Center in 2011, thirty-nine of its banjos have appeared in art shows.

On display below in the mirrored lobby, the Humming Bird banjo won a ribbon and was sold during the yearly weekend autumnal Boone County Bank Art Show. The BRC couple missed the awards ceremony, as they were away visiting grandkids in Texas.

When the grandparents returned from the Lone Star State, they were welcomed home with a spectacular rainbow that arched over their mid Missouri neighborhood. In a photograph from the upper deck above the BRC workshop, the colorful atmospheric phenomenon is admired by the banjo craftsman seen standing in the nearby shadows.

From the BRC:  Best Wishes to all for a lovely autumn season.