The Visual Culture of Sacred Harp
Here’s another post about personalizing our new books: The Sacred Harp, 2025 Edition.
The Publishing Company agreed to subsidize loaner books for singing groups as long as they were permanently marked as such. You can spot the Utah books by the divot taken out of the LA!
Practical and graphic decisions had to be made to make the books easily distinguishable.
The last picture is a singer’s personal copy, stenciled with a unique design so that it can easily be identified in a crowded room.
Publicity poster by Holly Taylor for all-day singing in New Orleans, 31 Jan & 1 Feb, 2026.
A “peaceable kingdom” menagerie appears to have gathered to sing from a tune book in a local building. The somber border looks more like a graveyard, an appropriate New Orleans setting.
This particular weekend event will morph from a traditional all-day format on Saturday to a “Queer Gathering” on Sunday, welcoming all the varied participants to join in mutual support and celebration.
Are they trying to wake the dragon?
Many of us have seen these or have one at home. Barb Lund of Indiana skillfully makes these useful mugs, and lavishly adorns them with the shapes.
I bet they are still available from Barb, to remind us of the Shape Note community with our coffee each morning .
Photo: Shawn C Taylor
In preparation for the 9th Annual Australian Sacred Harp Convention later this month, Lauren Reader of Melbourne has created a labor of love.
A custom-mixed color, and debossed fondant is layered on shortbread cookies, and then hand-painted lettering is applied. She has faithfully reproduced the color and graphics of the new 2025 Edition.
Some may recall a previous iteration of these cookies in “1991 Red.”
From the “Sacred Harp Melbourne” FB group.
A new edition of the tune book is a fresh chance to personalize one’s copy.
This new copy of The Sacred Harp: 2025 Edition belongs to Esther Morgan-Ellis, with a fabric cover by Pam Nunn, and beautiful edge decoration by Lily Hammond.