For the past year we have been partnering with Mid Atlantic Arts on their Central Appalachia Living Traditions project, or CALT. CALT promotes the understanding and recognition of folk arts and culture in Appalachian counties of Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia through a 3-part program that invests in folk arts communities while seeding new folk…
West Virginia Folklife Presents Apprenticeship Showcase: The Power of Storytelling in Midwifery
Please join us at noon on Thursday, May 5th –The International Day of the Midwife– for a pre-recorded apprenticeship showcase featuring midwife Angy Nixon of Putnam County and her apprentice Christine Weirick of Fayette County. The pair recently completed their 2020-2021 apprenticeship with the West Virginia Folklife Program. Read about their apprenticeship here. The virtual…
Introducing Jennie Williams, the State Folklorist of West Virginia
A version of this piece will be published in the Summer 2022 issue of Goldenseal, a print magazine produced by the WV Department of Arts, Culture and History. My name is Jennie Williams, and I’m thrilled to join the West Virginia Humanities Council and direct the West Virginia Folklife Program as the new state folklorist….
West Virginia Folklife Presents Virtual Apprenticeship Showcase: Seed Saving and Storytelling
West Virginia Folklife Virtual Apprenticeship Showcase: Seed Saving and Related Storytelling Friday, November 5 @ 1 p.m. -2 p.m. via Zoom Please join us on Friday, November 5, at 1 p.m. for a virtual showcase featuring apprenticeship pair in seed saving and related storytelling, Mehmet Oztan of Reedsville and Lafayette Dexter of Fayetteville. The event…
2021 Folklife Apprenticeship Feature: Mehmet Oztan and Lafayette Dexter, Seed Saving and Related Storytelling
The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These apprenticeships aim to facilitate the transmission of techniques and artistry of the forms, as well as…
Watch Homegrown Foodways in West Virginia: “Turkish Cuisine and Seedsaving” & “Ravioli and Sauce”
On Wednesday, September 15th at noon EST on the American Folklife Center’s Facebook page, we will premiere the third and fourth films in the Homegrown Foodways in West Virginia series, featuring Lou Maiuri on ravioli and sauce and Mehmet Öztan on Turkish cuisine and seed keeping.
West Virginia Folklife Collection Now Online Via WVU Libraries
West Virginia Folklife is thrilled to announce that its digital archives collection, The West Virginia Folklife Collection, is now accessible online through the West Virginia and Regional History Center at West Virginia University Libraries. The collection may be viewed at https://wvfolklife.lib.wvu.edu/
Watch Homegrown Foodways in West Virginia: “Korean Heritage and Kimchi”
On Wednesday, September 1 at noon EST on the AFC’s Facebook page, we will premiere the second film in the Homegrown Foodways in West Virginia series, featuring Marlyn McClendon on Korean heritage and kimchi.
The State Folklorist’s Notebook: Ode to the Union, Former UFCW Local 347 President Sterling Ball
The State Folklorist’s Notebook is a regular column written by state folklorist Emily Hilliard for Goldenseal magazine. This article appears in the Summer 2021 issue.
West Virginia Folklife Presents Virtual Apprenticeship Showcase: Old-Time Fiddle & Banjo
Please join us on Thursday, September 23 at noon for a virtual showcase featuring apprenticeship pair in old-time banjo of Central West Virginia, Kim Johnson & Cody Jordan of Kanawha County, and old-time fiddle apprenticeship pair Joe Herrmann & Dakota Karper of Hampshire County. The pairs will perform a concert and host a Q&A. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees should register here.
West Virginia Folklife Presents Virtual Apprenticeship Showcase: Forest Farming
Please join us on Wednesday, September 22 at noon for a virtual apprenticeship showcase featuring forest farmers Ed & Carole Daniels of Randolph County and apprentice Clara Haizlett of Brooke County. The team, who recently completed their 2020-2021 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship year, will present on their apprenticeship cultivating American ginseng and other forest botanicals, and hold a Q&A.
Watch Homegrown Foodways in West Virginia: “Foraging and Relations”
On Wednesday, August 18 at noon EST on the American Folklife Center’s Facebook page, we will premiere our first film in the Homegrown Foodways in West Virginia series, featuring Dr. Jonathan Hall on foraging and relations.
wvfolklife.org 