Q: How did the idea for the Museum come about?
A: After hosting the Guthrie Jazz Banjo Festival for a number of years, Oklahoma attorney, Brady Hunt, envisioned the establishment of a four-string banjo “Hall of Fame” to be associated with the Festival. Coincidentally, Indiana industrialist (and banjo collector), Jack Canine was looking for a Museum which would allow his extensive collection to be on public display. Hunt and Canine met and agreed to expand the “Hall of Fame” concept into a full-fledged banjo museum.

Q: When did the Museum open?
A: The American Banjo Museum opened on Memorial Day Weekend in 1998.

Q: Is the Museum privately owned?
A: No. In order to accept the donation of the Canine collection, the Museum was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All of the banjos and memorabilia in the Museum’s collection are held in the public trust by the Museum.

Q: Who governs the Museum?
A: The Museum is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of both banjo savvy members from around the U.S. as well as Guthrie area business and civic leaders.

Q: How many banjos are on display in the Museum?
A: There are currently nearly 300 banjos on exhibit. The Museum’s collection is the largest display of high-grade four-string banjos on public display in the world.

Q: Are all the banjos in the Museum from the Canine collection?
A: No. While the donation of the Canine collection represented a grand starting point for the Museum’s collection, many new and historically significant banjos have been added to the collection since the Museum’s opened, most notable the 2007 acquisition of 200 banjos from the Dierk Frerichs Collection in Germany.

Q: Where do these new acquisitions come from?
A: Most of the banjos recently added to the Museum’s collection have been donated or loaned by individuals who realize the importance of preserving the heritage of the four-string banjo and sharing their treasures with the public. The estates of Eddie Peabody, Harry Reser, Scotty Plummer, Freddy Morgan, Smokey Montgomery and many others have all donated or loaned instruments to the Museum’s collection. Other acquisitions are made via purchases funded by donations to a specific acquisition fund.

Q: Why does the Museum place such an emphasis on the four-string banjo as opposed to other banjo styles?
A: The banjo has had a long and diverse evolution - beginning in many cultures as a primitive handmade folk instrument. However, the banjos created in the United States during the Jazz Age of the 1920s and 30s represent the pinnacle in banjo design and manufacturing as well as performing technique and public popularity. To understand the Museum’s mission and enhance the Museum experience, visitors are enlightened about the banjo’s history and evolution as it intertwined with the development of American popular music - with the strongest emphasis being placed on the Museum’s collection of Jazz Age masterpieces.

Q: How large is the Museum staff?
A: The Museum has a full-time staff of two - the Executive Director (Johnny Baier) and the Assistant Administrator (Margie Boatright). While the majority of Museum administration, curatorial and guest relation duties are handled by the paid staff, a number of local volunteers are available as needed.

Q: How is the staff paid?
A: Generous benefactors - most notably Jack Canine - have established an endowment fund which pays the salaries of the current staff.

Q: Where is the Museum located?
A: The Museum is located on the second floor of a historic building located at 116 E. Oklahoma Avenue in downtown Guthrie.

Q: Who visits the Museum?
A: Museum visitors are basically comprised three types: casual tourists, tour groups or banjo enthusiasts. Casual tourists who visit Guthrie are pleasantly surprised to find the Museum amidst the shops and restaurants in the downtown area. Tour groups often plan a day around their visit to the Museum and other Guthrie attractions. Banjo enthusiasts and players - from around the world - often make Guthrie and the Museum a destination in their travel plans.

Q: Outside of existing endowments and rental income, does the Museum have other sources of income?
A: Donations from individuals and banjo organizations have proven to be the greatest source of income thus far. As a nonprofit organization, the Museum is eligible for (and is currently pursuing) grants and sponsorship funding from government and corporate sources as well. Membership dues from Museum association members represents a small (but growing) source of income.

Q: Is the Museum an accredited facility?
A: Not yet. However, as part of the accreditation process, the Museum recently participated in the “Museum Assessment Program” sponsored by the American Association of Museums.

Q: In addition to banjos, what does the Museum have on display or available for visiting researchers or historians?
A: The Museum collections include many rare and significant recordings, instructional publications, films, photographs, publications and items of memorabilia and ephemera. These items are displayed and archived in a manner which will preserve them for future generations.

Q: What type of banjo instruction programs does the Museum offer?
A: The Museum’s “Banjo Masters” program has a defined curriculum and offers classes both at the Museum and at various regional festivals throughout the year. The Museum also offers weekly beginning banjo lessons (at very minimal cost) to anyone of any age wishing to play the four-string banjo. In Fall 2005, the Museum began a youth banjo band program with instruments and instruction being provided at no cost to particpants. Banjos for beginning students are available through the Museum’s student banjo rental program.