Timothy Duffy has been photographing musicians in the South for 35 years and is the founder of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, that helps elderly musicians meet their basic needs so that they can share their music with the world. The exhibit features portraits of these musicians and still lifes of Southern scenes in the form of 25 palladium prints created from Duffy’s wet-plate photographs. The portraits featured in the exhibit range from little known harmonica players and blues singers like Dr. Dixon, Algia Mae Hinton, and Lena Mae Perry, to more famous, contemporary artists like Sharon Jones, Derek Trucks, and blues legend Taj Mahal.These evocative images 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.

Several pieces of folk art made by Music Maker artists will be on display with the photographs.