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Tag: John Morris

2018 Master Artist & Apprentice Feature: John Morris & Jen Iskow, Old-Time Fiddling and Stories of Clay County

John D. Morris of Ivydale is leading an apprenticeship on old-time fiddling, focusing on the traditions of Clay County, with Jen Iskow of Thomas. The first in a series featuring our five 2018 Folklife Apprentice Pairs.

Recent Posts

Announcing the West Virginia Folklife Legends & Lore Roadside Marker Program March 25, 2019
The State Folklorist’s Notebook: “People need to know about plants”: Herbarist Marion Harless March 22, 2019
West Virginia Folklife 2018 Activities Report January 29, 2019
2018 Master Artist & Apprentice Feature: Doug Van Gundy & Annie Stroud, Old-Time Fiddling of the Greenbrier Valley January 23, 2019
2018 Master Artist & Apprentice Feature: Marion Harless & Kara Vaneck, Green Traditions December 20, 2018
West Virginia Folklife Presents Apprenticeship Showcase: Fiddle, Blues & Gospel December 17, 2018
2018 Master Artist & Apprentice Feature: Doris Fields aka Lady D & Xavier Oglesby, Blues & Black Gospel December 3, 2018
West Virginia Folklife Presents Apprenticeship Showcase: Old-Time Fiddle & Salt Rising Bread November 27, 2018

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Homemade Easter card 🐓 featuring Virginia, Jeanette & James Green Jr., St. Mary's, #WV, 1909 📷: via @wvulibraries

“Remembering D. Ray White, born on this day in 1924 in Boone County, West Virginia. Here he is dancing and singing ‘Cindy’ in the early 1980s.” Via @dusttodigital from Mike Seeger’s documentary Talking Feet, available on Folkstreams and from @smithsonianfolkways

We are very saddened to hear of the passing of Saint Albans neon sign maker James L. Day. Originally from Ohio, Day worked out of his business Day Sign Company for over 5 decades, providing custom hand painted & neon signs to companies across the greater Kanawha Valley. His work is on display at @flycrw & @tristateairport, the Charleston post office, and numerous businesses including Fazio's, @taylorbookswv, @wviff, Suzi's, and @mesh_design. Day saw himself as an artist and enjoyed making signs for his friends & family members. Last year we worked with @wvpublic to produce a short video documentary & audio piece about Day's work. You can find them on our blog (link in profile).

We're very excited to announce our new #WVFolklife Legends & Lore Roadside Marker Program, in partnership with The William G. Pomeroy Foundation! The program—a national initiative already underway by @nyfolklore and @ncfolklife — was created to help promote cultural tourism and commemorate legends and #folklore as an important part of every community’s cultural heritage. Nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and nonprofit educational institutions are eligible to apply. Selected applicants will receive an attractive, well-crafted metal road sign, resembling a historic marker, to commemorate a story, figure, or tradition important to their community’s cultural heritage. The first round of applications are due May 1, 2019.

"When I asked Marion why she felt it was important to pass on her botanical knowledge to apprentices like Kara and the thousand or so other students she’s taught, she replied, 'Because the world cannot live on plastic alone. I think if people knew the many uses of plants, that we would have so many fewer problems in the world, like this opioid crisis.'" 🌿🌸🌱🌼 Learn more about master herbarist Marion Harless (and the difference between an "herbalist" and an "herbarist") in the profile by state folklorist Emily Hilliard, up now on our blog and in the new issue of #Goldenseal magazine. #wvfolklife 📷: Marion on her porch in Kerens/ Blue lobelia in Marion’s garden

Thank you @rosaliehaizlett for designing our sweet new rack cards! Pick one up and learn more about our programs at the next #WVFolklife event.

We spent this Saturday in Scott's Run, where every week residents meet at the Scott's Run Museum "coffee shop" to catch up and share memories of their lives growing up in the 5-mile long holler where families from at least 19 different ethnic groups settled during the coal boom. According to the museum, " the legacy is that integration happened in Scott's Run long before the Civil Rights era in US History." Scott's Run was documented by WPA photographers Walker Evans, Marion Post Wolcott, and Ben Shahn, and was the inspiration for Eleanor Roosevelt's Arthurdale Homestead, due to the poor living conditions in the community during the Great Depression. Learn more about the Scott's Run Museum and History Trail at http://scottsrunmuseumandtrail.org/.

Musician John Homer ‘‘Uncle Homer’’ Walker was born in Mercer County #OnThisDay in 1898. He was raised in Summers County and lived much of his adult life in neighboring Glen Lyn, Virginia. He usually worked as a laborer and farm hand. Walker played the five-string clawhammer #banjo. Among the last in a tradition of black Appalachian banjo players, he grew up with brothers who played guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. He began playing the banjo as a child, learning from his mother, an uncle, and his maternal grandfather, who had been born into slavery in Virginia. A popular performer during the folk revival, in his later years, Walker played music at festivals including the John Henry Folk Festival in Summers County, the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston, and the 1976 @smithsonianfolklife festival in Washington, D.C.. He was featured in the 1972 documentary film, "Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival," and was the subject of the 1977 film, "Banjo Man," narrated by folk musician @tajmahalblues. He died in Princeton on January 4, 1980. Learn more via e-WV https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/884 #BlackHistoryMonth #wvfolklife #westvirginia #oldtime #fbf

Happy Valentine's Day from West Virginia Folklife! ❤️💕❤️ 📷: Jeanette Green Valentine's Day Card, St. Mary's, #WV c.1907-1909 via @wvulibraries

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