b'Saint Peter in Tears, Oil on Canvas, 1650-1655 | Bilbao Fine Arts Museum | Public DomainRenaissance: The Banjo:The Transformation of the West Music, History and HeritageBroadcast March 11 April 11 Broadcast April 14 21Its easy to get caught up in the art andMost often associated with Bluegrass, this architecture. But underneath all theinstruments roots are actually Afro-Caribbean. paint and marble is another side of theDelving into this largely unknown history is Renaissance . the eras politics, spiritualitymusician Rhiannon Giddens, who begins in West and societies. Its only through this holisticAfrica where a gourd-like model made its way view that we can appreciate the value ofto the Caribbean and the Americas via the slave Michelangelos Sistine Chapel ceiling. Intrade and spiritual ceremony. It was this ritual of this enriching course, Dr. McNabb opensbringing people together in music and dance that our eyes to womens role, the daily liveseventually transcended social class. Which is how of the rural poor and urban elite, and thethe sound jumped from Sacred to Jazz, Creole, connections between the RenaissanceFolk and the twangy land of Bluegrass. Today, and the Reformation. Its a refreshingthe popularity of musicians like Mumford take on a period connecting the Middleand Rhiannon have introduced a fresh Ages to modern times, including thebanjo sound. One youll like. Grammy Renaissance people we consider ourselvesAward-winning singer/songwriter today. Heading the History Department atRhiannon Giddens cofounded the Northern Iowa, Jennifer McNabb has alsoCarolina Chocolate Drops, is artistic served as president of the Rocky Mountaindirector of Silkroad, and a band Medieval & Renaissance Association. member of Our Native Daughters. 52 Head of a girl, circa 1483| Leonardo da Vinci | Royal Library of Turin | Public Domain Rhiannon Giddens, Interstellar Rodeo, 2015| Levi Manchak | CCBY2.0 | Bkgd lightened, Silhouette'