For the past four years, the Pisgah Banjo Company of Fairview, North Carolina, has conducted a fundraising raffle to benefit the IBMA Foundation’s Arnold Shultz Fund. A total of $31,800 was raised in 2024, with $10,000 designated for Black Banjo Reclamation Project programs. A grand total of $120,840 has been raised since 2021 by the Pisgah banjo raffle for the Shultz Fund, which encourages participation by people of color in bluegrass music.
“Pisgah Banjo Company contributes to this fund as part of its socially sustainable mission to pay homage and acknowledge the significant contributions enslaved Africans made to the banjo,” said Pisgah Banjo Company owner and senior luthier Patrick David Sawyer. “We want to give back to these communities who are making a difference in helping to change stereotypes and create a more inclusive culture in the bluegrass and old-time communities.”
Patrick has shared a video that allows viewers to take a tour through the Pisgah Banjo Company shop. “When filmmaker Cheyne Lempe wrote to me five years ago, asking to shoot a short film on Pisgah Banjos, I had no idea what to expect or the journey this project would put us on,” he said. “After working on films such as National Geographic’s Academy Award winning film Free Solo and directing Patagonia-sponsored film Stone Locals, I had no doubt that Cheyne would deliver something epic and meaningful and give our company a candid voice as to what our mission is all about. Being an accomplished banjo player himself, Cheyne was able to fully capture what Pisgah Banjos stands for and why we do what we do. I hope you enjoy the video!”
Pisgah Banjos are made in the USA from 100% native Appalachian hardwoods in a solar-powered shop.
Link to video: Pisgah Banjo Company (vimeo.com)
RETURN to the June 2024 issue of The Cornerstone.
Recent Comments