March 27 – June 30, 2023, Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery
Ola Belle Reed: I’ve Endured explores the life and work of nationally recognized bluegrass musician Ola Belle Reed, contextualizing her achievements within a history of migration from rural Appalachia north in the twentieth century. The display will include photographs, concert flyers, instruments, audio, video, and memorabilia drawn from the Maryland Traditions Archive at UMBC. Co-curated by the Library Gallery’s Curator of Exhibitions Emily Cullen and Media and Communications Studies Professor Bill Shewbridge with Tim Newby, author of Baltimore: The Hard Drivin’ Sound & its Legacy (McFarland and Company, Inc. 2015).
Public programming will include a free public screening of Bill Shewbridge’s documentary “I’ve Endured”: The music and legacy of Ola Belle Reed and a free public concert (date and venue TBA) featuring performances by Ola Belle’s son David Reed and nephew Hugh Campbell, as well as Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, a Grammy Award winning duo based in Silver Spring who had a close relationship with Ola Belle and her family. Cathy and Marcy continue to celebrate her legacy through their music and the annual Ola Belle Reed Songwriting Workshop. The concert will be recorded and made available on UMBC’s Maryland folklife website.
“I’ve Endured”: The music and legacy of Ola Belle Reed is a new 45 minute documentary exploring the life and work of nationally recognized bluegrass and old-time musician Ola Belle Campbell Reed (1916-2002), directed by Bill Shewbridge.