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Category: Folk Art

ceramic cups sitting on shelves

From Conflict to Creativity: The Journeys of AnnMarie Halterman and Ehren Tool

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

The following is a guest blog post co-authored by U.S. Air Force veteran, AnnMarie Halterman, who is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Uniting US, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Ehren Tool. This is the first in a four-part guest series featuring military veteran artists who are members of Uniting US, a veteran-focused nonprofit arts …

From Conflict to Creativity: Veteran Artists Showcase event announcement

VHP Unites with Veteran Artists for PTS Awareness Month

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

“From Conflict to Creativity: Veteran Artists Showcase” ~ June 28-30, 2022 Join the Veterans History Project (VHP) as we recognize Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) Awareness Month with a three-day Veteran Artists Showcase focused on living with, managing and raising awareness of PTS and Military Sexual Trauma. Hosted in collaboration with Uniting US, this series of creative …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

‘We have our own long history and culture’: Listening to Taissa Decyk, Ukrainian American Artist

Posted by: Michelle Stefano

“Now, this tablecloth,” Taissa Decyk says, “I was in a camp expecting my first child, who is now thirty-one, when I made this tablecloth.” In September 1979, Mrs. Taissa Decyk was interviewed in her Providence home about her extensive knowledge of Ukrainian embroidery traditions. Conducted by folklorist Geraldine Niva Johnson, the interview was for the …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Inside Out: Memories from Inside the Closet

Posted by: Kerry Ward

The following is a guest blog post by Dr. Circe Olson Woessner, Director of the Museum of American Military Family and Learning Center in Tijeras, New Mexico. June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month.  This month-long celebration demonstrates how LGBTQ+ Americans have strengthened our country by using their talent and creativity …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

African American Art Dolls and Puppets for Identity and Healing

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

On February 18, 2020, the Library of Congress hosted an unusual event, a celebration of African American dolls and puppets sponsored by the American Folklife Center’s Benjamin Botkin Lecture Series. Folklorist Camila Bryce-Laporte and fellow artist, Dr. Deborah Grayson,  presented several artists from Maryland and the District of Columbia. The event also included a wonderful …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Caught My Eye: Reading a Quilt from Maine

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

I recently stumbled on an interesting quilt from Maine as I was looking through collection items in the presentation Quilts and Quilting in America 1978-1996. Quilts are usually made to cover beds and keep warm. They have beautiful designs. Art quilts may be made for beds or made to hang on the wall and are …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Ready for research: Documentation of Southern pottery, Southeast Asian cultures, and Armenian folk crafts

Posted by: Nicole Saylor

This is a guest post by American Folklife Center archivist Jesse Hocking, who is part of a new cohort of archives staff across the Library who were hired to help bring collections out of the processing backlog. The American Folklife Center is excited to announce that the collection of Nancy Sweezy (1921-2010), noted folklorist, potter, …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Goes Online

Posted by: Stephen Winick

The following guest post by Ann Hoog is part of a series of blog posts about the 40th Anniversary Year of the American Folklife Center. Visit this link to see them all! The American Folklife Center is pleased to announce a new online presentation of the Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Collection.  The photos and audio …