Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery - 50th Anniversary Guitar Making Project

On view for one month only
Museum Members are invited to a special after-hours experience celebrating 50 years of craftsmanship and innovation from the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery.  This exclusive evening offers a behind-the-scenes preview of the exhibition, followed by a live concert featuring select guitars played by Roberto-Venn graduates.

About the Exhibition 
The exhibition features 50+ guitars built by graduates of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery and by guitar-making companies that employ Roberto-Venn alumni. Each instrument reflects the individual vision, design choices, and craftsmanship of its maker.  The guitars in this project were created using historic rosewood and mahogany, materials that have played a meaningful role in the school’s history and legacy.

About Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery 
Founded in 1975, Roberto-Venn is the longest-running guitar-making school in North America and an accredited institution since 1979. Its mission is to prepare students for professional careers in lutherie through immersive, hands-on training. Graduates of Roberto-Venn have gone on to work throughout the global music products industry as builders, repair specialists, road techs, and entrepreneurs.

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Roberto-Venn 50TH ANNIVERSARY GUITAR MAKING PROJECT:

Here are some of the notable luthiers and guitar making companies who built instruments for the project:

Roberto-Venn graduates and entrepreneur custom guitar makers:  Michi Matsuda

• Jason Kostal
• Ray Kraut
• Michael Baranik
• Mario Beauregard
• Ricky Barlow
• Scott Walker

Industry icons and luthiers:

• Bob Taylor (Taylor Guitars)
• Paul Reed Smith (PRS Guitars)
• Sergio Villaneuva (Gibson Guitars)
• Richard Hoover (Santa Cruz Guitars)
• Paul Waller (Fender Guitars)
• Steve Nall (Collings Guitars)
• Joe Naylor (Reverend Guitars)
• Zach Jones (Rick Turner / Renaissance Guitars)
• and other guitar making companies 

Each of the companies mentioned have employed many Roberto-Venn graduates over the years, and in most cases these graduates will be heading up the project or working on these instruments, including: 

• Michael Voltz, former Vice President of Gibson
• Doug Culberson, Master Luthier at Gibson
• Austin Hadlock (Chief Engineer at Gibson)
• Joel Unrein (Quality Control Manager at Gibson in Boseman, Montana)
• Ben Mashal (co-founder of Pre-War Guitars)
• Ryan Zalevesky (Senior Research and Design Engineer at Fender)
• and many others

The entire Roberto-Venn staff will all build a 50th Anniversary Guitar and a diversity of other graduates, including recent graduates, along with at least one graduate builder from every decade since the 1970’s.