Strummin' on the Banjo in Nineteenth-Century America
January 11-February 18, 2001

The history of the banjo in nineteenth-century America illuminates several national histories and sagas, including racial typing, minstrelsy, and the waxing and waning of popular entertainment. Featuring 35 beautifully preserved banjos, as well as broadsides, photographs, toys, and advertisements, Strummin' on the Banjo in Nineteenth-Century America will tell these stories, while casting light on the physical construction of the instrument itself. The exhibition traces the evolution of the banjo from the stringed gourd instrument brought over by African slaves, to the artifact of the mid-century minstrel show, to the culturally refined conversation piece of the gilded age parlor. This exhibition features banjos from the James Bollman Collection, Lexington, MA, widely considered to be the best collection of nineteenth-century American banjos in the United States.

The opening reception and gallery talk by Mr. Bollman is Friday, January 19, 5-7:30 p.m. At the opening renowned banjoist Nev Jackson will perform with an accompanist.

In conjunction with this exhibition, on February 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the Allen Theatre in Annville, the college presents a "concert-lecture." Mandy Barnett, Nashville recording star, and Dr. Cecelia Tichi, professor of English at Vanderbilt University, will give a concert, with commentary, surveying the theme of love in country and western music. Barnett's CD, I've Got a Right to Cry, was recently released by Sire Records. Known for her powerful, "classic" voice, Barnett was featured on the soundtrack of the recent movie, Space Cowboys. Professor Tichi is the author of High Lonesome: The American Culture of Country Music (University of North Carolina Press, 1994); and Reading Country Music: Steel Guitars, Opry Stars, and Honky-Tonk Bars (Duke University Press, 1998).

Strummin' on the Banjo in Nineteenth-Century America is generously sponsored in part by Bob and Aileen Hamilton, and a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.