Meet Local Luthier Carlos Barrios

For this month’s Knowledge Friday presentation, The Church in Sag Harbor will welcome East Hampton luthier Carlos Barrios. The event on Friday, October 21, at 6 p.m., is offered in tandem with The Church’s fall exhibition “Hand Made: Guitars According to G.E. Smith & The American Artists’ Hand Archive” which centers around the idea of skill as something that is both acquired through study and learned through continuous physical practice of a craft.

A luthier is a maker of guitars — a skill Barrios taught himself. Since building his first guitar in 1993, Barrios has gone on to repair and create master guitars at the highest caliber for famous musicians on the East End. The evening will begin with a screening of the short documentary “A Guitar Maker’s Path — The Search for Tone.” Directed by John Jinks, the film follows Barrios during the creation of one of his guitars from start to finish. Following the screening Barrios will be interviewed by The Church co-founder April Gornik on his life and career as a luthier.

Originally from Guatemala, Barrios lives in East Hampton where he creates and repairs guitars. Barrios’s relationship with woodworking began early when his father taught him the carpentry trade. Taking his skill set to a whole new level, Barrios creates master guitars of the highest quality — his work with tone woods is unmatched.

Tickets for Knowledge Friday are $15 at thechurchsagharbor.org. The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor.