Join us for the extraordinary opportunity to hear three renowned individuals—legendary guitarist G.E. Smith, internationally-acclaimed restorer Matt Umanov, and John Monteleone, one of the finest archtop guitar and mandolin makers alive today—discuss the past, present, and future of the world’s most popular musical instrument.
This program is held in conjunction with The Church’s exhibition Hand Made: Guitars According to G.E. Smith and The American Artists’ Hands Archive, which features 16 guitars selected by G.E. This grouping of instruments allows our viewers to look through G.E.’s eyes and understand his vision of the history of guitars as a drive to increase the volume of the instrument and its culmination in the birth of the electric guitar—a loud instrument for a noisy world.
These three experts will share their individual ideas about the cultural, design, material, acoustic, and theoretical experimentations and innovations that have marked the evolution of the guitar. Central to this discussion are the fundamental changes over time in how, when and by whom the instrument was made and played. G.E., Umanov, and Monteleone each have unique expertise in their area and nuanced ideas about this rich history. The issue of what comes next for this remarkable and versatile instrument is another intriguing question that holds an important place in this discussion.
