Freeman Vines

For decades, 82-year-old Freeman Vines has been hand-carving guitars in hopes of replicating a sound that captivated and still haunts him. The guitars range in style from more traditional to fully abstract using a variety of wood — including lumber from trees once used to lynch Black men. Now battling multiple myeloma and suffering from diabetes, Vines lives and works in a small storefront shop in rural Fountain, North Carolina, still in pursuit of the elusive sound, surrounded by his tools, materials and other objects that speak to his lifelong conflict with racism in this region. Freeman Vines is the story of a true artist who has found a way to create while surviving in a complex world.