Make Music Artist of the Week: Mark Stewart

Make Music Day

Guitarist Mark Stewart, best known as Paul Simon's music director and a founding member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars, is a frequent Make Music Day participant, marching in New York's Tilted Axes electric guitar parade or leading a Mass Appeal guitar play-along in Union Square.

But Mark has a parallel passion as an instrument builder, using found objects to design instruments that everyone can play. Over a video call with Make Music Day organizers in January, he shared examples of his work including the Whirlycopter, Big Boing, the Schonbeck collection he's assembled at Mass MoCA, and many more.

Already Mark's work has inspired several new Make Music Day projects, including one coming this summer to Kansas City!