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From the feminine curves of a Fender Stratocaster to the piercing tone of a Gibson Les Paul, guitars are aesthetic objects that delight both the eye and the ear. Still, their cultural significance extends beyond their beauty. Guitars are also instruments of societal change. Woody Guthrie’s guitar bore the message “This Machine Kills Fascists,” and, time was, anyone who knew three chords could marshal the voices of the many into a message more powerful than the sum of its parts: we shall not be moved… ain’t gonna study war no more… this land is your land, this land is my land… we shall overcome…
Beginning on February 28, guitars and their cultural impact are the subjects of an exhibition at the Woodson Art Museum. “Medieval to Metal: The Art & Evolution of the Guitar,” a touring exhibition of The National Guitar Museum, collects forty exemplary specimens that trace the history of the instrument from its origin in lutes and ouds to avant-garde instruments singing the sounds of tomorrow.
There’s much more to do and see and hear. The Woodson Art Museum’s Sound Lab will have guitars for visitors to play, and Art Park, the interactive family gallery, provides materials to design album covers.
Two musicians and guitar aficionados will also be sharing their expertise over the span of the exhibition, which ends on May 31. Stevens Point guitar maker, author, and musician John Currier shares his skills, offering hands-on demonstrations, presentations, and in-gallery concerts during his residency, March 5-8. Guitar historian and musician Michael Kudirka will utilize both sounds and stories to tell the history of guitars. Kudirka focuses on Renaissance and Baroque lutes, March 27 & 28; classical guitars, April 10 & 11; and avant-garde guitars, May 8 & 9.
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The Woodson’s Thursday Performance Series (5:30-6:30 p.m.) for March and April will feature a wide range of guitar-driven musical styles:
March 5: Stevens Point luthier and guitarist John Currier, Building Guitars: Form & Function
March 12: Blues Guitar with Bobby Messano, inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2012
March 19: Irish & Regional Folk with St. Paul’s Brian Miller and Milwaukee’s Randy Gosa.
March 26: Folk Guitar with Robert “One-Man” Johnson
April 2: 80s and 90s Rock with Rico Jaeger
April 9: Heavy Metal and Shredding with Jeff Sandbom
April 16: University of Wisconsin-Marathon County Jazz Combo
April 23: Jazz with Tom McComb
April 30: Community Contemporary: Open Mic Night
Be sure to peruse the Woodson’s event calendar for an exhaustive listing of events, dates and times.
