Virginia Folklife Program

Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes Nominated for Independent Music Awards Gospel Album of the Year!

tlt8a — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:31:17 +0000

We’re really excited to announce that Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes: Live in Richmond has been Nominated for Independent Music Awards Gospel Album of the Year!

WTJU Folk Fund Drive

VFHwebdev — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:46:24 +0000

Our friends at WTJU are preparing for their annual folk fund drive, starting Monday morning, February 4, and running through Sunday night, February 10.

This year’s theme is “Staying In Tune”, and each weekday morning they will focus on the many different folk styles of the guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and Dobro. They will have six days of in-studio live performances, and special shows on Folk Music of Virginia, Appalachian String Band, Yodeling, Accordions, Tex Mex, Western Swing, Chris Thile, Old-Time, early Radio Bluegrass and more!

You can show your support by calling 434-924-3959, or pledging on-line. And tell them VA Folklife sent you!

Wayne Henderson and Gaye Adegbalola: Virginia Folklife Series at the Southern

tlt8a — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:19:43 +0000

Gaye Adegbalola (photo by Jon Lohman)

The Virginia Folklife Program is proud to present Wayne Henderson and Gaye Adegbalola at The Southern Music Hall in Charlottesville at 7pm on Sunday, November 18. Doors will open at 6 — stop by, grab a refreshment, and say hi to Gaye and Wayne.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance for $12 or on the day of the show for $15.

The concert is produced in partnership with our good friends at WTJU, 91.1 in Charlottesville, who will be recording the concert for future broadcast. Both Henderson and Adegbalola are currently participating in Virginia Folklife’s Master and Apprentice Program, teaching an apprentice their crafts and helping their apprentices hone their skills. They each performed at the 2012 Apprenticeship Showcase at VFH in September.

Wayne Henderson (Photo by Tom Pich)

Henderson is a guitar player and world-renowned luthier from Grayson County, and is the recipient of a 1995 National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Henderson recently played at the Richmond Folk Festival on the Virginia Folklife Stage.

Adegbalola, of Fredericksburg, is a blues singer who has had a diverse career including scientific research, teaching, and directing experimental theater. She became a full-time performer as a founding member of the group Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women. After the group retired in 2009, she has continued to play on her own, and has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Blues Music Award.

WTJU Promo

Scenes from the Blue Ridge Folk Festival

tlt8a — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:09:05 +0000

For more than 30 years, Ferrum College’s Blue Ridge Institute and Museum has documented the folkways of the people living in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains. Through gallery exhibitions, the Farm Museum, the Heritage Archive, and the Blue Ridge Folk Festival, the Blue Ridge Institute has promoted a special understanding of the region’s folklore. This year, the Virginia Folklife Program media specialist, Pat Jarrett, was on hand to capture some of the amazing events at the festival, including the legendary coon dog races and much more. See the slideshow below to check out Pat’s photos:

Mark your calendar for next year’s festival: October 26, 2013.

Richmond Folk Festival: Fertile Ground and National Treasures

tlt8a — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 14:53:22 +0000

The Virginia Folklife Program was a proud production partner of the 2012 Richmond Folk Festival. We are grateful to all our performers, craft demonstrators, volunteers, and sponsors who helped make this event possible. Check out the slideshow below featuring the photography of Pat Jarrett and Peter Hedlund:

Shucking Smackdown III: Settling the Score in the 804

tlt8a — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:19:21 +0000

The incomparable oyster shucking sisters Deborah Pratt and Clementine Macon faced off this weekend at the Richmond Folk Festival in a race to see who would be the first to shuck two dozen oysters. For the second consecutive year, Deborah won the battle royal by three oysters. Their much anticipated third showdown, dubbed “Oyster Shucking Smackdown III,” drew record crowds. Though the promoters claimed this would be their final match, much like the historic trilogy of Ali and Frazier, might there be one more throw down in the River Town in 2013? Stay tuned.

To commemorate this epic battle, the Virginia Folklife Program collaborated with the Virginia Arts of the Book Center (VABC) to create a hand-pressed classic fight poster designed and printed by master printer Garrett Queen and his apprentice Lana Lambert. One hundred limited edition hand-printed posters will be on sale at the festival, with all proceeds benefiting the Folklife Program. View the slideshow below to see the making of this poster at the VABC:

Also on the Richmond Times-Dispatch/Virginia Folklife Stage, we will feature Virginia’s winners of the National Heritage Awards, the highest honor the U.S. government can bestow upon a traditional artist. Virginia boasts an astonishing number of Heritage Fellows, and our stage will feature performances by and tributes to Mike Seeger, Wayne Henderson, the Paschall Brothers, John Cephas, Jesse McReynolds, John Jackson, Flory Jagoda, Janette Carter, Joe Wilson, Frank Newsome, and Ralph Stanley. For photos, videos, and more on the Heritage winners, click here.

photo courtesy of the Franklin News Post

The Virginia Folklife Craft Area will showcase traditional flavors of the Commonwealth by featuring Virginia’s agricultural traditions from various aspects and uses of such food products as apples, corn, maple sugar, peanuts, hams, and others. Festival visitors will be able to witness firsthand the work and processes behind many of the foods that have graced Virginia tables for generations, and interact with many of today’s masters of these working traditions, including Jay Eagle (maple sugar), Gail Hobbs-Page (cheese), Bill Savage (Indian corn meal), Clyde Jenkins (heirloom apples), Dee Dee and Tommy Darden (country ham), Frances Davis (fried apple pies), Albemarle Ciderworks (hard cider), Jimmy Boyd (moonshine still demonstration), the Virginia Peanut Growers Association (peanuts), and Dudley Biddlecomb (oysters). Deborah and Clementine will be on hand shucking throughout the weekend.

The Richmond Folk Festival takes place October 12-14 in downtown Richmond along the banks of the James River, on Brown’s Island, and at the Tredegar Civil War Center. The festival is free and open to the public.

Oyster Shucking at the Folklife Apprentice Showcase 2012

VFHwebdev — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:57:35 +0000

Deborah Pratt defeated her sister Clementine Macon in an oyster-shucking showdown at the Virginia Folklife Program’s Apprentice Showcase on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012.

Watch Video >>

Showcase Rocks

tlt8a — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:38:28 +0000

The Virginia Folklife Program celebrated its ninth annual Apprenticeship Showcase on September 16. Festival-goers were treated to the food, music, and crafts of the Commonwealth. We congratulate all graduating Virginia Folk Masters and welcome the new class of masters and apprentices. View the slideshow below to see the wonderful images captured from the afternoon:

We thank our generous sponsors of this event:

The National Endowment for the Arts
Virginia is For Lovers
The Bama Works Fund of the Dave Matthews Band at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation

A special thank you to WTJU and Folk Director Peter Jones for live coverage of the event.

Incredible Lineup: Music, Food, Crafts of Folklife Showcase

tlt8a — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 20:04:13 +0000

Ashley Nale and Sammy Shelor (photo by Pat Jarrett)

Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Showcase
Sunday, September 16, 1:00-5:00pm

Stage Schedule:

1:00pm: Loose Strings: Bluegrass from Galax featuring Ashley Nale

1:30: Introduction by Jon Lohman, Director of the Virginia Folklife Program; Presentation of certificates to the 2011-2012 masters and apprentices

1:45: Flatpick Guitar with Wayne Henderson

2:00: Autoharp with John Hollandsworth and Sam Gleaves

2:15: Chickahominy Dance with Jessica Stewart and Vanessa Adkins

2:30: Blues Singing with Gaye Adegbalola and Lorie Strother

2:45: Clawhammer Banjo with Jimmy and Jared Boyd

3:00: Recognition of Crafters

3:15: Shape Note Singing with John Del Re, Kelly Macklin, John Alexander, and Diane Ober

3:30: Mongolian Dance with Ganna and Zana Natsag

3:45: Oyster Shucking Contest with Deborah Pratt and Clementine Macon

4:00: Instrument Contest Emceed by Harold Mitchell and Dale Morris

4:30: Sammy Shelor and Ashley Nale

Peter Hedlund and Dudley Biddlecomb (photo by Pat Jarrett)

Crafters:

Cobblers: Dave and Yvonne Young

Instrument Makers: Wayne and Jayne Henderson, John Hollandsworth, Sam Gleaves, Walter Messick, and Chris Testerman

Oyster aquaculturists: Dudley Biddlecomb and Peter Hedlund

Job-shop letterpress printers: Garrett Queen and Lana Lambert

Stone masons: David Conroy and Mark Smith

Gunsmiths: Wallace Gusler and Bruce Larson

Mongolian Mask Makers: Ganna and Zana Natsag

Food:

Cheese makers: Gail Hobbs-Page and Kyle Kilduff

Oyster Shuckers: Deborah Pratt and Clementine Macon Boyd

Brunswick Stewmakers: the Proclamation Stew Crew

Fried Apple Makers: Frances Davis and Annie James

Virginia Folklife Announces New Master Artists and Apprentices

tlt8a — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:53:24 +0000

The Virginia Folklife Program announces the tenth class of Master Artists and Apprentices in the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program.

Please join us in welcoming the 2012-2013 class at the Apprenticeship Showcase on Sunday, September 16 from 1 to 5pm at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Master Guitar Maker Wayne Henderson of Grayson County and apprentice Jayne Henderson
Master Blues Singer Gaye Adegbalola of Fredericksburg and apprentice Lorie Strother of Waynesboro
Master Chickahominy Dancer Jessica Stewart and apprentice Vanessa Adkins of Charles City County
Master Dulcimer Maker Walter Messick of Grayson County and apprentice Chris Testerman

Master of Job-shop Letterpress Printing Garrett Queen of Charlottesville and apprentice Lana Lambert
Master Instrument Contest Emcee Harold Mitchell of Galax and apprentice Dale Morris of Grayson County
Master Stone Mason David Conroy of Montgomery County and apprentice Mark Smith of Pulaski County
Master of Clawhammer Banjo and Moonshine Stories Jimmy Boyd of Franklin County and apprentice Jared Boyd of Carroll County
Master Gunsmith Wallace Gusler of Williamsburg and apprentice Bruce Larson

The Apprenticeship Showcase also will recognize the graduating class of master artists and their apprentices:

Master Banjo player Sammy Shelor of Patrick County and apprentice Ashley Nale of Galax
Master Cobbler David Young and apprentice Yvonne Young of Waynesboro
Master of Oyster Aquaculture Dudley Biddlecomb of Northumberland County and apprentice Peter Hedlund of Charlottesville
Master Cheesemaker Gail Hobbs-Page of Albemarle County and apprentice Kyle Kilduff
Master Shape Note Singers John del Re and Kelly Macklin of Clarke County and apprentices John Alexander and Diane Ober of Charlottesville
Master Autoharp maker and player John Hollandsworth of Montgomery County and apprentice Sam Gleaves
Master Mongolian Mask Maker Gankhuyag Natsag and apprentice Zanabazar Gankhuyag of Arlington County
Master Caribbean Carnival Costume Maker Earl Blake and apprentice Scottie Blake of Hampton Roads

Please join us for this free festival featuring the music, food, and crafts of the Commonwealth. This year’s Showcase also sees the return of Frances Davis, the “fried apple pie lady,” and the Brunswick Stewmasters. The stewmasters will make 380 quarts of their delicious Brunswick stew on site, and will offer take-home quarts for sale, with all proceeds benefiting the Virginia Folklife Program.

The event is free and open to the public. Children and families are welcome. RSVPs are encouraged.

The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is located next to the Boar’s Head Inn, 145 Ednam Drive, off Route 250 West in Charlottesville. For more information, call 434-924-3296.

The Folklife Apprenticeship Program is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Apprenticeship Showcase also receives support from Virginia is for Lovers and the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band in the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF).