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.
Tag: folklore
New Film Series with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress Explores Food Traditions in West Virginia
In partnership with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, West Virginia Folklife is excited to launch the new Homegrown Foodways in West Virginia film series, presenting four short films that explore a range of food traditions in the state. The series will be produced by West Virginia farmers, chefs, and foodways storytellers Mike Costello and Amy Dawson of Lost Creek Farm in Harrison County.
2021 Folklife Apprenticeship Feature: Angelita Nixon and Christine Weirick, Home Birth Midwifery
Angelita Nixon of Scott Depot in Putnam County is leading an apprenticeship in home birth midwifery with Christine Weirick of Fayetteville.
Field Notes: An Interview with the Mothman Museum & Festival’s Ashley Wamsley Morrison
Ashley Wamsley Morrison’s father Jeff Wamsley founded the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant and Ashley manages the museum’s marketing and is one of the organizers of the Mothman Festival. In this interview she speaks about the legend of Mothman, and how the narrative and town’s promotion of the creature has evolved in Point Pleasant.
2020 Folklife Apprenticeship Feature: Kim Johnson & Cody Jordan, Banjo Traditions of Central West Virginia
Kim Johnson of South Charleston is leading an apprenticeship in banjo traditions of central West Virginia with apprentice Cody Jordan of Charleston.
A Tribute to West Virginia Labor Singer-Songwriter Elaine Purkey (1949-2020)
West Virginia Folklife deeply mourns the great loss of labor songwriter, musician, activist, radio host, teacher, and devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother Elaine Purkey.
Field Notes: An Interview with W.I. “Bill” Hairston
W.I. “Bill” Hairston, 71, is a storyteller, old-time musician, and pastor living in Charleston, West Virginia. He was born in Phenix City, Alabama, and his family moved to Saint Albans, West Virginia, in 1960.
West Virginia Folklife Seeks Applications for 2020-2021 Statewide Folklife Apprenticeship Program
The West Virginia Folklife Program is now accepting applications for its 2020-2021 statewide Folklife Apprenticeship Program. The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 award 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…
A Tribute to Ballad Singer Phyllis Marks (June 5,1927-June 22, 2019)
A tribute to Gilmer County ballad singer Phyllis Marks, who passed away June 22, 2019, at the age of 92.
West Virginia Folklife 2017 Activities Report
What has the West Virginia Folklife Program done lately? Learn about our 2017 media, activities, and programs.
The State Folklorist’s Notebook: “Only limited by the size of the tree and your imagination”: Charles Steven Adams of Martinsburg
The State Folklorist’s Notebook is a regular column written by state folklorist Emily Hilliard for Goldenseal Magazine. This article appears in the Winter 2017 issue. Charles Steven (“Steve”) Adams spent almost 40 years as a social worker dealing, as he says, “with people and their problems.” When he was in his mid-50s and nearing retirement, Steve started carving…
West Virginia Folklife Awarded NEA Grant to Support Statewide Folklife Apprenticeship Program
We are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a $35,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Arts to support the new West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. This Art Works grant is among the $82 million that NEA Chairman Jane Chu has approved to fund local arts projects across the country in the…
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