Private Stash: A Musician’s Eye is a look at the varied influences that have helped shape jazz musician Fred Hersch’s life and work to date. The exhibition is a highly personal immersion into the music, artwork, and life experiences that have come together to inspire his varied oeuvre. Visitors will gain insight into Hersch’s artistic process by looking at the diverse influences—including everything from folk art and photography, to the music of artists as wide-ranging as Thelonious Monk and Joni Mitchell—that shape his compositions. The exhibition will present these items side by side with musical sketches and final music for stage productions, allowing for visitors to see—and hear—the evolution from inspiration to completion.

The objects include pieces from Hersch’s collection of whimsical folk art as well as fine art made by colleagues from his numerous residencies at the MacDowell Colony. Music on paper will include his original “scribble” sketches through various stages to the final pencil versions. iPods will allow visitors to hear Hersch’s compositions along with selections of music that has inspired him in significant ways. A number of compositions will be presented in this side-by-side see/hear fashion including pieces from his new multimedia work My Coma Dreams, which will be shown on a video loop.