Gainor's Banjo Workshop
Shot and edited by: Nikki Reijmer Dec. 2, 2019.
On Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, at his home in Columbia, Mo., retired surgeon Barry Gainor shows off some of the banjos he owns and has reconstructed over the years. Gainor comments that he always wonders about the history of the banjos he has in his collection, particularly one of his older banjos, which is around 100 years old. He explains that often times, the owner of the instrument will mark it with a signature. They "do it on the inside part... they’ll sign their names," says Gainor.
On Nov. 8, 2019, Gainor presented one of his banjos in an exhibit at the Columbia Art League. Several different pieces are placed within the wood of the neck of the banjo. When explaining the metal tree-like designs, Gainor explains: "It shows here the interconnectedness of the Tree of Life."
Back at his workshop, Gainor prepares his newest piece for the Columbia Art League's next exhibit, which is centered around the theme 'taste.' He explains that the theme of this banjo centers around dolphins, and he calls it "the ‘save us’ banjo... [it's] a hidden theme and the viewer has to search for it.” Gainor chose this name to represent the dolphins that are hunted and killed each year.
On Nov. 15, 2019, Gainor goes into depth about the precision required to reconstruct banjos. He often draws parallels between working with banjos and his work as a surgeon. “It’s just like doing surgery, it’s all of the same rules." Gainor adds that, "theres an old saying: ‘measure twice, then cut.’ But my rule is measure twice, stop, measure twice again, then cut."
Gainor remarks that he incorporates skills from the medical profession while working on his banjos. Additionally, he often uses surgical glasses to work with the fine tools required of banjo reconstruction. Gainor adds: “I wear these a couple hours everyday… they’re called loupes, surgical loupes.”
In his travels overseas, Gainor has played harmonica for kids across the world. Nowadays, he plays weekly gigs with friends at the Broadway Brewery in Columbia, Mo. While going through old photos, Gainor explains: "this is the picture taken in 1992 by a journalism student. And I started playing on the coffee house, by myself with this bass guy. Just two of us. ”
On Nov. 15, 2019, Barry Gainor talks about how he learned to reconstruct banjos. “Having worked overseas in very meager settings, I’ve learned to operate with the simplest of tools… that is also reflected in my workshop. I do not use elaborate tools, just the simple ones.”
On Friday, Nov, 15, 2019, Barry Gainor comments that because he spent so much of his life in education, he always enjoys learning new things. He adds that: "with every instrument, I always learn something new.”
