The modern banjo is an instrument commonly associated with the Appalachian region and Bluegrass music, but the origins of this instrument extend beyond the rolling hills of the Southern mountains, to West Africa. The banjo has evolved over the generations from a gourd body with gut strings to a metal resonator body and steel strings like we see today. This program will be led by Mark Freed, the Director of Cultural Resources for the Town of Boone and Banjo Scholar. This will be both parts lecture and demonstration, with Freed performing tunes and techniques for each iteration of the instrument.
This special event is part of the Jagged Path: the African Diaspora in Western North Carolina in Craft, Music, and Dance exhibit on display though October 22, 2022. The exhibit illuminates the obscured history of African contributions to craft, music, and dance in Western North Carolina. Drawing connections from the 17th through 21st centuries., the Jagged Path will demonstrate how African traditions that survived the Middle Passage have helped create the culture of Western North Carolina through interviews, performances, historic artifacts, artist residencies, and more.
About the Speaker
Mark Freed works as Director of Cultural Resources for the Town of Boone. He moved to western North Carolina in 2002 for his love of the banjo and then to Boone in 2003 to pursue a master’s degree in Appalachian Studies. During this time, Mark worked with Dr. Cece Conway and others to produce the Black Banjo Gathering at Appalachian State University in 2005, and he has continued collaborating with Dr. Conway on similar banjo roots presentations. Mark is an adjunct instructor of Appalachian Music at App State, and he has worked in the Jones House Cultural and Community Center since 2005, as a folklorist and director. Mark lives in Boone with his wife, three kids, and a wall full of banjos.
