Barrier Islands Center’s Art & Music on the Farm - 05/27/2023

About

Barrier Islands Center’s
Art & Music on the Farm

May 27, 2023
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Admission for Adults is $5 and Children are FREE!
Come for the art…stay for the music!

The BIC’s Art & Music on the Farm festival offers fine art and treasures from local artists, artisans, and traditional roots music played by celebrated musicians from across Virginia, all in an inviting, family-friendly setting. Whether you prefer to sip wine, peruse the eye-catching art, delve into the history of Virginia musical styles, watch your child have fun with an art activity, plan a fun summer garden, or eat some tasty food, you will find something to tickle your fancy.

Everyone will revel in the toe-tapping, hand-clapping sounds of gospel, folk, and bluegrass from this year’s line-up of highly acclaimed bands. And don’t forget the intimate workshops with the performers hosted by music historian Gregg Kimball. The BIC can bring these high-caliber musicians to the Eastern Shore thanks in part to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

In addition to the music, the Farm is filled with some of the finest art in the region: over 30 artists and artisans will have their paintings, plants, and crafts for sale. Food and beverages (including local wine, beer, soft drinks, and iced coffee) are available for purchase. Children can participate in a fun, free art activity.

So, bring your friends and family to start summer with a glorious celebration of Virginia’s rich heritage of art and music at one of the loveliest venues on the Eastern Shore!

Featured musicians include:
Wayne Henderson
Ken Heath and the True Disciples
The New North Carolina Ramblers
Phil Wiggins and the Chesapeake Sheiks

Schedule of Performances

The New North Carolina Ramblers
11:00 - 11:45 a.m.

Ken Heath and the True Disciples
12:15 - 1:00 p.m.

Wayne Henderson and Friends
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Phil Wiggins and the Chesapeake Sheiks
3:00 - 3:45 p.m.

Workshops

Are you ready for a toe-tapping, educational experience that will bring a smile to your face? Then, check out the intimate musician workshops that occur throughout the day at Art & Music on the Farm. Hosted by music historian Gregg Kimball of the Library of Virginia, these up-close and personal conversations with our award-winning musicians reveal their musical influences and inspirations interspersed with impromptu jam sessions that highlight the depth and richness of Virginia's traditional music. All workshops will be held in the Beazley Community Room of the Education Building, where the acoustics are fabulous. Do yourself a favor and tell your parents, children, and friends to make sure to catch at least one of the workshops at Art & Music on the Farm. You'll be glad you did - we promise!

Southern Guitar Styles: Wayne Henderson, Darren Moore, and Matt Kelley
Noon - 12:45 pm

The guitar began life in America primarily as a middle-class parlor instrument. Its increasing use in folk music around the turn of the 20th century was due to several factors: the availability of cheaper, factory-made instruments; technological changes in construction that made the instrument louder; and the emergence of new styles of music suited to the guitar. The instrument joined banjos and fiddles as a key part of the Appalachian string band and also became the dominant instrument for Blues songsters. The participants in this workshop will demonstrate the wide range of guitar styles, including Blues, Old Time, and the Carter Scratch.

Voices of the Violin: Wayne Martin and Marcus Moore
1:00 - 1:45 pm

The violin was one of the first instruments brought to the North American continent. The sound of the fiddle resonated across early Virginia in the drawing rooms of elites and within enslaved communities. Drawing on West African and European influences, black and white fiddlers pioneered the signature sounds of what would become Country music. Fiddlers also influenced early African American music such as Ragtime and Blues. Wayne Martin of the New North Carolina Ramblers and the Chesapeake Sheiks’ Marcus Moore will demonstrate and discuss the fiddle’s role in the development of American traditional music.

Gospel and the Blues: Phil Wiggins and Ken Heath and the True Disciples
2:00 - 2:45 pm

Twentieth Century Gospel and Blues music are sometimes uncomfortable musical cousins. Blues influenced the fiery performance styes of Black Pentecostal and Holiness churches and street singers. Gospel greats such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe sometimes delved into the Blues repertoire—often to the chagrin of church people—while Blues singers recorded Gospel songs under pseudonyms. Phil Wiggins and Ken Heath will discuss these connections and tensions while demonstrating the modern Blues and Gospel styles.

Artists and Artisans

Agos Artistry
Mark Belknap
Margaret Bradach
Bobby Bridges
Grayson Chesser
David Crane
N.T. Daley
Diana Davis
Don Donovan
Danny Doughty
Buck and Helene Doughty
Gertraud Fendler
Kate Fitzpatrick
Diane Ginsberg
Cathy Grook

Steve Hardy
John Harlow
Ann Hayden
Peter Henderson
Barbara Hennig-Loomis
Anne Holland
Dianne Hottenstein
Carrie Jacobson
Jamie Kirkpatrick
Jennifer Klein
Kurt Lewin
Melanie Lewis
Richard McCauley
Sandy McFall

Laura McGowan
Morphosis Creative
Bill Mytnik
Josh Ostraff
Carole Boggeman Peirson
Thelma Peterson
Karen Pruitt
Elizabeth Rhoades
David Rogers
P.G. Ross
Gail Scott
Elle Thacker
Ray and Julita Wood
Vesna Zidovec