Field Notes - Traditional Arts Indiana

Field NotesNews from Traditional Arts IndianaVolume 8, No.1 February 2007In this issue:Arts Fair on the SquareVolbrecht Luthier ExhibitBernice Enyeart Quilt ExhibitIndiana FestivalMarion OctoberfestTAI at the Indiana State FairRotating Exhibit NetworkDavid and Joel Straubinger, flute builders

Note from the DirectorWelcome to our new full-color newsletter highlighting TraditionalArts Indiana’s research, projects, and events in 2006. You can findmore current information about our activities in our forthcomingblog at www.traditionalartsindiana.org . Thank you for yourcontinued support of Indiana’s folk and traditional arts.TAI Collaborations TAI in Bloomington’s Fair on the SquareFor the second year in a row, TAIcollaborated with the BloomingtonArea Arts Council to bring artists toBloomington’s annual Arts Fair on theSquare in June 2006. The event featuredmusical instrument builders, includingguitar maker Randy Lucas, tamburitzamaker Milan Opacich, African drumRoy Spight playing his tongue maker Julius Adeniyi, drum maker Roydrum at Fair on the Square.Spight, and luthier Larry Hopkins.Volbrecht Luthier ExhibitCurated by IU graduate studentDeborah Justice for Traditional ArtsIndiana, the exhibit of master luthierRon Volbrecht’s guitars took place inJuly 2006 at the John Waldron ArtsCenter in Bloomington. A craftsmanobsessed with perfection, Volbrechtbuilds guitars slowly, finishing onlyfour or five instruments each year.The Waldron show provided arare pleasure: seeing fifteen Volbrechtguitars displayed in the samespace. In addition to displaying thefinished masterpieces, the exhibitRon Volbrecht molds the body ofa guitar in his workshop.offered glimpses into his building1

and inlaying processes. Owners of Volbrecht guitars performed intwo noon concerts during the run of the exhibit, allowing visitors toexperience the full aural and visual beauty of Volbrecht’s creations.“My Art Will Keep You Warm”: The Quilts of Bernice EnyeartThe Wabash County HistoricalMuseum collaborated with TAI topresent a retrospective exhibit ofBernice Enyeart’s quilts. From herfarmhouse in rural Huntington County,Bernice has been creating quilts forthirty-four years, many over eightfeet square and stitched by hand. Theexhibit will run through March 2007.TAI fieldworker Butch Rossand quilter Bernice Enyeart atthe opening of her exhibit.Along the Heritage CorridorTAI at the Indiana FestivalTAI collaborated with Conner Prairie Living History Museum tobring several artists from the I-69 Heritage Corridor to demonstratetheir traditional arts in the second annual Indiana Festival in June2006. This two day event featured nine demonstrators, includingglassworker Joe Rice, Treeing Walker coonhound breeders Kip andTrent Gordon, ukulele builder Geoff Davis, rag rug weaver MaryJane Stackhouse, canjo maker Eli Jackson, quilter Marguerite Cox,gourd artist Patria Smith, walking stick maker Ronald Davis, and anumber of players from the HamiltonCounty cricket team.The event was participatoryand interactive. Eli Jackson’scanjo-making workshops drewa crowd of grownups andchildren eager to make theirown instruments. The air wassprinkled with the twangy soundof the small stringed instrumentsRon Davis, walking stick maker,demonstrates at the Indiana Festival.made from sticks and metal cans.— Photo by Ilze AkerbergsYoung and old tried hitting a2

cricket ball with the sport’s unique bat in a gleeful pick-up gameof cricket. A narrative stage presented the artists to the public,allowing gourd artists, ukulele makers, and glass artists to comparesimilarities and differences of their creative endeavors.I-69 Project at MarionOctoberfestTAI, in collaboration with theGrant County Visitors Bureaubrought eight traditional artistsfrom along the I-69 corridorto Marion’s Octoberfestcelebration on October 7,2006. Tools of their trade wereon display, as well as examplesfor the public to handle andask questions about. Joe Rice’scolorful

Ukulele maker Geoff Davis, kannel maker Ain Haas, African drum maker Julius Adeniyi, tongue drum maker Roy Spight, violin maker Tom Sparks, and guitar maker Ron Volbrecht were on hand to demonstrate the process of instrument-making, to discuss their traditional art