Earl Scruggs Center:
Music & Stories from the American South
Client/Company: Cortina Productions
Project Description: Located in Shelby, North Carolina, the Earl Scruggs Center: Music and Stories from the American South tells the stories of iconic banjoist Earl Scruggs and the unique and layered musical and cultural history of the Piedmont region in which he grew up. Cortina Productions created a series of multimedia exhibits that includes interactives, digital signage, audio pieces, slideshows, content management systems, and a microsite.
Julie’s Role: Project Manager / Producer
I served as the project manager and producer during the pre-production phase of the project. After meeting with the client representative and the exhibit design team, I created concepts, conducted preliminary research, and wrote content outlines for all of the media.
One of the pieces of which I’m most proud is the Common Threads interactive table. Visitors are able to explore music, culture, and the region’s heritage through the intersections of place, artist, genre, influence, instrument, and time. The multitouch table brings up relevant photos, audio, video, and documents to dive deeper into these stories. Visitors can also join a “Pickin’ Party” with others around the table, each selecting an instrument to play.
The Banjo Breakdown demonstrates the differences between clawhammer, two-finger picking, and three-finger picking, known as “Scruggs style.” This was a fun exhibit to conceptualize and develop, solving the problem of how we could film a musician’s fingers from behind— through a clear banjo head. It also utilizes dials for visitors to control the speed at which they play videos animated to highlight each style.
People playing the "Common Threads" interactive table. Image credit: Julie Govert
Close-up of "Common Threads" topics of intersection. Image credit: Julie Govert