Bryan Birks
Articles of Virtu is an ongoing project that explores the intimate relationship between the people of the American Midwest and the cars they own. Capturing the individuals, the land in which they live, and the interiors of their homes and garages, this series aims to showcase the unique identity and culture shaped by the automobile.
Old and young, the people I photograph all have thoughts and ideas about what will come of their lives and the things they own. The amount of time I spend with each person varies. It can be short, long, or over multiple encounters that span years. Conversations around legacy always unfold, and in doing so, just before we part ways, they always end with a goal of some sort, whether to fix the motor of the abandoned Riviera or possibly touch up the chipped paint. They take a small pause, look over the car one more time, and say, “Maybe one day.” We go our separate ways, the car is covered back up, and the only thing that changes is the sun’s position in the sky.
-Bryan Birks
On view February 1, 2025 - August 2, 2025
Tennessee Music Boxes
The Tennessee music box is a folk music instrument which originated in the rural counties of West or Middle Tennessee shortly after the Civil War. Its origins are shrouded in mystery, but there are enough similarities among the documented instruments to suggest common ancestry.
They were never commercially produced on any scale but the most skilled craftsmen might have built several instruments for friends and family. The techniques of constructing and playing these “box dulcimers” were transmitted through family tradition or from neighbor to neighbor making them true regional folk instruments. Each one was constructed from materials at hand lending every Tennessee music box individual aesthetic and tonal characteristics.
This exhibition highlights seven unique instruments from the 1800s, along with details about the instruments’ construction, history, and rediscovery. Come experience these truly unique artifacts at The Carnegie Center for Arts and History.
Tennessee Music Boxes is on loan from Arts in McNairy.
