In America we have baseball, grandma's apple pie and the banjo.

The banjo, it seems, is the instrument of the hour: banjo concerts, banjo lectures, banjo books and, at the center of all these recent events, "Picturing the Banjo," the latest exhibit at the Palmer Museum of Art.

Although the premise of a banjo-themed art exhibit may seem odd, the nationwide response to the concept has been tremendous, said Robin Seymour, coordinator of membership and public relations for the museum.

"I didn't know what to expect when I first heard about it," she said. "But people from across the country have been asking about this exhibition. People have literally been crawling out of the woodwork."

The American Banjo Fraternity is an organization "dedicated to preserving the classic style of banjo playing," member Mike Evock said. The group has even expressed interest in becoming involved with the project, Seymour said.

The man behind the banjo is Leo Mazow, curator of American Art at the Palmer Museum. His involvement in the project has been extensive; not only did he originate the concept, but he oversaw the exhibit, gathered the pieces and even edited a Picturing the Banjo book that covers many of the featured pieces and the history behind the instrument. The artwork was lent to the Palmer Museum by various museums and private collections across the country, from as far away as California, Mazow said.

"I wanted to organize a project with some meaning," he said. "It's not so much about the manufacturing of the banjo but more the symbolism. It's something that covers race, class, folklore, folk life and women's issues."

The "Picturing the Banjo" exhibit, which runs from March 30 to June 25, is actually on its second pit stop in an East Coast tour. Although organized and curated by Palmer Museum staff, the exhibit was previously showcased at Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and will continue on to the Boston Athenaeum.

"One benefit of having a traveling exhibition is it gives the public more time to see the show," Seymour said.

The artworks and artifacts introduced in the exhibit show just that and more.

The pieces range from 18th century illustrations to modern-day photography and everything in-between. The exhibit highlights the history behind the instrument, beginning with its African predecessors and spanning its journey to America, the gain of popularity and the evolution of connotation, Seymour said.

"It really gives a glimpse into so many different worlds," she said. "There's pop culture, fine art, folk art. It covers not only high art but low art as well."

The pieces vary in style and content but the one thing that holds them together is the common theme of the instrument, Seymour said.

The show features pieces such as "William T. Wiley's Banjo" for JB, a 1985 fictional multimedia banjo complete with a bottle of Jack Daniel's inside, Robert Gwathmey's "Non-fiction," a 1943 painting of an African-American minstrel show and actual wooden banjos from the mid-1800s.

Evock, a member of local band the Tarnished Six, said banjo playing is alive and well in the State College community.

"There's banjo players around here," he said. "Banjo pickin' is going strong."

To compliment the display, numerous other events have been planned.

Speakers from Smith College and Vanderbilt University will give lectures on the subject, and Mazow will host a gallery talk on the exhibit. An Art of Music performance at the museum entitled "Banjovial" will feature Evock and others performing banjo music. "The Banjo Summit," an upcoming Eisenhower Auditorium concert featuring famed banjoist Béla Fleck, will complement the exhibition, Mazow said.

An outdoor banjo concert and ice cream social is being planned for June 24.

The "Picturing the Banjo" exhibit is far beyond pickin' and grinnin'.

"It's so obvious that this exhibition is about so much more than just a pretty picture," Seymour said. "People can come in and be awed, puzzled, inquisitive. Everyone is fascinated with their own history."