2017 Wedisson Reed, fiddles, Joseph 'Bebe' Carrier, cigarbox fiddle & bow, Crafting the South LA Sound Exhibition, Hilliard Univ Art Museum, Sept 8-Oct 15
From the exhibition “Crafting the South Louisiana Sound,” Sept. 8-Oct. 15, 2017, Hilliard University Art Museum, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, text of museum display card with name of instrument builder and description, followed by abridged biographical information in brackets drawn from a guide written by curator Anya Burgess:.
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(Left) Wedisson Reed. Fiddle. Choupique, LA, ca. 1978. Whittled cypress body, neck, sides, pegs and tailpiece. “Genuine Stradiveaux” written in ballpoint pen on back. On loan from Ann Savoy. On permanent display at the Eunice Depot Museum..
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(Center) Wedisson Reed. Fiddle. Choupique, LA, ca. 1980. Spray-painted formica top and back plates, formica tailpiece. Cypress ribs, neck, sides, fingerboard and pegs. Note the white area scratched under the bridge feet to simulate wear. On loan from Barry Ancelet. {Wedisson Reed (1908-1987) made many items on his farmstead. Anya Burgess continues: “When he decided to make a fiddle, he whittled one out of cypress. After that, he decided that formica would be a good material since it was already thin. His son worked for the highway department and had access to the ‘highway orange’ paint that Wedisson used on his formica instruments. Marc Savoy, a good friend of Wedisson’s, jokes that you wouldn’t get run over if you were playing one of Wedisson’s ‘highway orange’ fiddles on the side of the road.”} .
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(Right) Joseph “Bébé” Carrière. Cigarbox Fiddle and Fiddle Bow. Lawtell, LA, 1982. Cigarbox body, salvaged cypress neck and pegs, carved cow horn tailpiece. Pushpin endpin. The bow is whittled cypress and was originally “haired” with sewing thread held on small nails. On loan from the Lafayette Science Museum. {Joseph “Bébé” Carrière (1908-2001), a renowned Creole fiddler (www.allmusic.com/artist/carriere-brothers-mn0000760952), made his first fiddle when he was about 13 using a wooden cigarbox and broken window screen. The instrument on display is a replica.}.
2017 Wedisson Reed, fiddles, Joseph 'Bebe' Carrier, cigarbox fiddle & bow, Crafting the South LA Sound Exhibition, Hilliard Univ Art Museum, Sept 8-Oct 15
From the exhibition “Crafting the South Louisiana Sound,” Sept. 8-Oct. 15, 2017, Hilliard University Art Museum, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, text of museum display card with name of instrument builder and description, followed by abridged biographical information in brackets drawn from a guide written by curator Anya Burgess:.
.
(Left) Wedisson Reed. Fiddle. Choupique, LA, ca. 1978. Whittled cypress body, neck, sides, pegs and tailpiece. “Genuine Stradiveaux” written in ballpoint pen on back. On loan from Ann Savoy. On permanent display at the Eunice Depot Museum..
.
(Center) Wedisson Reed. Fiddle. Choupique, LA, ca. 1980. Spray-painted formica top and back plates, formica tailpiece. Cypress ribs, neck, sides, fingerboard and pegs. Note the white area scratched under the bridge feet to simulate wear. On loan from Barry Ancelet. {Wedisson Reed (1908-1987) made many items on his farmstead. Anya Burgess continues: “When he decided to make a fiddle, he whittled one out of cypress. After that, he decided that formica would be a good material since it was already thin. His son worked for the highway department and had access to the ‘highway orange’ paint that Wedisson used on his formica instruments. Marc Savoy, a good friend of Wedisson’s, jokes that you wouldn’t get run over if you were playing one of Wedisson’s ‘highway orange’ fiddles on the side of the road.”} .
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(Right) Joseph “Bébé” Carrière. Cigarbox Fiddle and Fiddle Bow. Lawtell, LA, 1982. Cigarbox body, salvaged cypress neck and pegs, carved cow horn tailpiece. Pushpin endpin. The bow is whittled cypress and was originally “haired” with sewing thread held on small nails. On loan from the Lafayette Science Museum. {Joseph “Bébé” Carrière (1908-2001), a renowned Creole fiddler (www.allmusic.com/artist/carriere-brothers-mn0000760952), made his first fiddle when he was about 13 using a wooden cigarbox and broken window screen. The instrument on display is a replica.}.