St. Louis, M.O., October 12th, 2018 – Timothy Duffy has been photographing musicians in the South for thirty-five years and is the founder of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Hillsborough, N.C. that helps elderly musicians meet their basic needs so that they can share their music with the world. The exhibit, Our Living Past features portraits of these musicians and still lifes of Southern scenes in the form of twenty-five platinum palladium prints created from Duffy’s wet plate photographs.  

Our Living Past made its Missouri premiere at the National Blues Museum in St. Louis on October 10th and will be on display until February 29th, 2019 in the Scott and Diane McCuaig Family Gallery.

“Beautiful, powerful, and unique photograph work.” – Eric Lutz, Saint Louis Art Museum

The portraits featured in the exhibit range from little known harmonica players and blues singers including John Dee Holeman, Algia Mae Hinton, and Lena Mae Perry, all of whom are from North Carolina to more famous contemporary artists. Soul singer Sharon Jones, slide guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks, and blues legend Taj Mahal have all had their portraits taken in Duffy’s unique style and are featured in the exhibit.

The images were captured by Duffy himself and give a glimpse into the rich historical narrative and vital culture of Southern traditional music. Duffy’s life work, to preserve this culture, now takes on a tangible form through Our Living Past, and works to ensure that these important living links to our history get the recognition they deserve.

Our Living Past debuted in the Atrium Gallery of the Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta in 2016 and has traveled to various museums and cultural arts centers since then. The photographs in Our Living Past have garnered coverage from the NY Times and TIME magazine’s photography arms.

About Music Maker Relief Foundation

Music Maker Relief Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1994 that supports the soul of America’s blues, gospel, and folk music through partnerships with senior, traditional artists. Music Maker ensures our cultural heritage is passed on to the next generation though live performances, exhibitions, documentation and youth engagement. They have received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council and the North Carolina Humanities Council.

About Timothy Duffy

Timothy Duffy, born in New Haven, Connecticut, 1963, has been recording and photographing traditional artists in the South since the age of 16, when he became interested in ethnomusicology. After earning a BA from Friends World College and MA from the Curriculum in Folklore at the UNC, Tim and his wife Denise founded Music Maker Relief Foundation. Duffy’s work is currently on display at Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and is part of the permanent collections of the The New Orleans Museum of Art, Morris Museum of Art, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Gallery of Art.

About National Blues Museum

A US 501(c)(3), the National Blues Museum is the only museum dedicated exclusively to preserving and honoring the national and international story of the Blues and its impact on American culture in the United States.

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For more information please contact: Cornelius Lewis | corn@musicmaker.org | 919.643.2456