Bruce Taggart is a mandolin builder, fiddle builder, banjo neck maker, and an instrument repairman. “I started as a musician interested in banjo but couldn’t afford a real fancy instrument,” he recalls, “so I built one. The Earl Scruggs book How to Play Bluegrass Banjo, in the back section, says how to build your own banjo. And that was my first foray into the musical instrument building world.” Bruce soon came across two old violins in need of work; after taking the first one to a local fiddle repairman, he thought, “Well, that looks easy, I’ll try my hand on the second.” That evolved into fiddle building, a “labor of love” that continues to this day alongside Taggart’s mastery of mandolin-making.
Click here to read a longer interview with Bruce Taggart.
Saturday, September 17: Lotus in the Park
Schedule subject to change.
Indiana is celebrating its 200th birthday throughout 2016. As part of the statewide Bicentennial Celebration, Traditional Arts Indiana will feature the works of four Indiana instrument makers as well as the traveling exhibit “Indiana Folk Art: 200 Years of Tradition and Innovation.” This 24-panel traveling exhibit, includes the work of more than 45 artists from throughout Indiana. At Lotus in the Park, TAI will showcase four master instrument makers dedicated to diverse traditional art forms found in our state. Artisans include Bruce Taggart (Mandolin/Fiddle Builder), Clint Bear (Guitar Maker), Bill Berg (Dulcimer Builder), and Tony Artis (African Drum Maker). In addition to informative panels and ongoing artisan demonstrations, the exhibit also features workshops with each of the artisans at the Education Pavilion throughout the day. Lotus is proud to partner with Traditional Arts Indiana through the Indiana Bicentennial Commission to commemorate the history and future of arts and culture in the state.
http://www.traditionalartsindiana.org/
http://www.in.gov/ibc/legacyprojects/2745.htm
https://www.facebook.com/TradArtsIN/
https://twitter.com/tradartsin
https://www.youtube.com/user/TradArtsIN