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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 …
Posted in: Folk Art, Quilts, Textile arts
Posted by: Stephen Winick
Out of an abundance of caution due to COVID-19, all Library of Congress buildings and facilities are closed to the public, and American Folklife Center staff are currently teleworking. In such uncertain times, we wanted to reassure our followers on social media, as well as those who use our collections and services in other ways, that we remain committed to serving the public as fully and as long as we can. Although most of us on the American Folklife Center staff have been staying away from our beloved Jefferson and Adams Buildings, we are on the job! In this blog, you'll find all the ways you can connect with us and enjoy our collections while you're staying safe at home.
Posted in: AFC Events, AFC History
Posted by: Lisa Taylor
She had already made it five years past the century mark when she finally sat down to share her story for the Veterans History Project (VHP) in 2002. Less than six weeks later, she was gone. Alice Leona Mikel Duffield was a beater of odds. A trailblazer. A go-getter. A caring soul. I’d say that …
Posted in: African Americans, Narratives, Oral History, Photographs, Storytelling, Veterans History Project, World War I
Posted by: Lisa Taylor
During this global pandemic, the Library of Congress Veterans History Project (VHP) continues to meet its mission of collecting, preserving and making accessible the wartime remembrances of U.S. military veterans. While we recognize during normal circumstances what we do is incredibly important, currently we have taken steps to modify the way we work because the …
Posted in: Narratives, Oral History, Storytelling, Thomas Jefferson Building, Tourism, Veterans History Project
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, …
Posted in: Armenian Americans, Asian American History, Folk Art, Folklorists, Massachusetts, Material Culture
Posted by: Stephen Winick
This post was written with Nancy Groce, the coordinator of the Occupational Folklife Project for AFC. The American Folklife Center is delighted to announce that four new Occupational Folklife Project collections are now available on the Library of Congress website. They are “Working the Waterfront: New Bedford, Massachusetts;” “Funeral Service Workers in the Carolinas;” “Illuminating …
Posted in: Occupational Folklife Project
Posted by: Stephen Winick
In the Homegrown Plus series, we present Homegrown concerts that also had accompanying oral history interviews, placing both together in an easy-to-find blog post. (Find the whole series here!) We’re continuing the series with Vishtèn, an award winning Canadian band that performs both traditional and original Acadian music with rock energy. Their original “neo-traditional” compositions are based on …
Posted in: AFC Events, Celtic Music, French American History, Homegrown Concert Series, Homegrown Plus
Posted by: Stephen Winick
Five recordings of traditional Irish music relating to Irish American women, with extensive notes and photos.
Posted in: Celtic Music, Irish American History, Irish Americans, Women's History
Posted by: Stephen Winick
A post about AFC's participation in Folk Alliance International. Includes audio and video and performances of traditional songs.
Posted in: AFC Events