Drumsticks used by Art Blakey: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A pair of wooden drumsticks, the last to be used by Art Blakey. The drumsticks are cylindrical with one rounded end and one tapered end with a small bulbous tip. Stamped labels in black read "VIC / FIRTH" and "AMERICAN CLASSIC 5A / USA". One of the sticks is scratched and gouged heavily, with material missing from the tip.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1980s
• Created by: Vic Firth Company, American, founded 1963
• Used by: Art Blakey, American, 1919 - 1990
• Type: drumsticks
• Medium: wood
• Dimensions: 2012.36.4a: 16 x 1/2 x 1/2 in. (40.6 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm)
• Dimensions: 2012.36.4b: 16 x 1/2 x 1/2 in. (40.6 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm)
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Object number: 2012.36.4ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Peter Bradley
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.