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Archive: September 2017 (10 Posts)

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

Pics of the Week: Fairfield Four!

Posted by: Stephen Winick

Earlier today, the great gospel quartet The Fairfield Four graced the stage of the Coolidge Auditorium, and I was fortunate enough to take photos of them.  I thought I’d share a few of them here as “pics of the week.” A Cappella singing groups are often hard to photograph, because they stand in a straight …

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

Reel Folk: Interview with Filmmaker Amy Nicholson

Posted by: Michelle Stefano

As the upcoming AFC film and discussion event, Reel Folk: Cultural Explorations on Film, nears, I interviewed filmmaker Amy Nicholson to whet the appetites of fellow ethnographic film enthusiasts out there! Amy’s 2005 film, Muskrat Lovely, will screen on September 30 2017, the second day of the Reel Folk event. View the full schedule here. What …

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

A World Overturned

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

The following is a guest blog post by Rachel Telford, Archivist for the Veterans History Project. A few days ago, the Veterans History Project launched “A World Overturned,” the third and final installment of our companion site to the Library of Congress exhibit, “Echoes of the Great War.” While part one explored the United States’ …

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

Reel Folk: The Making of Let’s Get the Rhythm

Posted by: Michelle Stefano

The following is a guest post by Irene Chagall, the co-producer of the film Let’s Get the Rhythm, which will be screening on September 30 as part of the AFC’s “Reel Folk: Cultural Explorations on Film” event (September 29-30) in the Library’s Pickford Theater. Co-producers Irene Chagall and Steve Zeitlin, the director of City Lore, …

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

Hispanic American Heritage Month

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

The following is a guest blog post by Andrew Huber, Liaison Specialist for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project (VHP). As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month through October 15, VHP continues to recognize the contributions of Hispanics and Latinos throughout the military history of our country. Hispanic and Latino Americans have fought in every …

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

Caught My Eye: The Mystery Bass Player

Posted by: Stephen Winick

To the right, you’ll see a photo of the front door to AFC’s administrative office. If you missed the name plaque, it’s to the right of the door! As you can see, these official name plaques are a little small, especially for the grand doorways of the Thomas Jefferson Building.  For that reason, AFC made a …

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

Pics of the Week: NEA National Heritage Fellow Eva Ybarra!

Posted by: Stephen Winick

As part of the American Folklife Center’s celebration of the 2017 NEA National Heritage Fellowships, we featured a concert yesterday with awardee Eva Ybarra, a Texas conjunto bandleader known as the “Queen of the Accordion.” Her instrument is a beautiful three-row diatonic button accordion which she plays with great dexterity, making it sound almost chromatic. During the show I got …

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

Postcards of World War I

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

The following is a guest post by Irene Lule, a Library of Congress Junior Fellow who worked with the Veterans History Project (VHP) this summer. Of all the types of material contributed to the Veterans History Project, World War I-era postcards are among my favorites. Postcards sent and kept by veterans are striking in their …

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

Reel Folk: Cultural Explorations on Film Screening and Discussion Event

Posted by: Michelle Stefano

On September 29th and 30th, 2017, the Library of Congress is hosting “Reel Folk: Cultural Explorations on Film,” a series of free film screenings and discussions organized by the American Folklife Center. The films feature fascinating explorations of traditional culture in the U.S., focused particularly on cultural communities, traditional artists and their cultural practices in …