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Posted by: Stephen Winick
As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, we are celebrating the Centenary of Alan Lomax’s birth with a series of events here at the library and out across the land. As you’ve seen, we have been staging Lomax events for months in preparation for the birthday. Since the actual birthday, January 31, fell on …
Posted in: Alan Lomax, Exhibits, Folklorists
Posted by: Stephen Winick
Back in our 100th blog post, I mentioned some of our upcoming ideas for celebrating the 100th birthday of Alan Lomax (1915-2002). The birthday will take place on January 31, but our plans last all year! These plans are developing and firming up, so I’ll take this opportunity to fill you in. First, though, I’ll …
Posted in: AFC Events, AFC History, Alan Lomax, Exhibits, Folklorists
Posted by: Nicole Saylor
In April, Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), transferred its archives to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Sustainability of folklore fieldwork collections is a pressing issue for many state folk arts agencies throughout the United States. I recently had the opportunity to talk with state folklorist Clifford Murphy about …
Posted in: Archival Practice, Folklorists, Maryland
Posted by: Stephen Winick
Whether you’ve been a follower of Folklife Today from the outset, or you’ve only recently joined us, we’d like you to help us celebrate a milestone: this is our 100th post! And what better way to mark that point on our journey than to announce a centennial celebration? So I’m pleased to announce AFC’s 2015 …
Posted in: AFC Events, AFC History, African Americans, Alan Lomax, Folk Music, Folklorists, Folksong, John Lomax, Louisiana
Posted by: Megan Harris
Happy Birthday, Navy! The United States Navy turned a whopping 239 years old on October 13th. On this day in 1775, the Continental Congress created the Continental Navy, thus establishing what would eventually become the United States Navy. To commemorate the occasion, I wanted to explore an intriguing and historic Navy tradition that is frequently …
Posted in: Folklorists, Oral History, Photographs, Veterans History Project
Posted by: Stephen Winick
This post presents two primary source documents, both in the public domain, which are difficult to find online. Both relate to my previous post on William John Thoms. They are the first two columns in Thoms’ series “Folk-Lore,” which ran in the journal The Athenæum from 1846 to 1849, and in Notes & Queries from …
Posted in: England, Folklorists
Posted by: Stephen Winick
August 22 is an important date to folklore fans. It is, in fact, the anniversary of the first appearance of the (originally hyphenated) word “Folk-Lore” in print. The medium was a letter to the editor of the Athenæum, a scholarly journal, and the author was William John Thoms, although he wrote the letter under his …
Posted in: England, Folklorists, Uncategorized
Posted by: Stephen Winick
On behalf of all my colleagues at the American Folklife Center, I’m very sad to say that Judith McCulloh, a pivotal figure in the fields of folklore and ethnomusicology, and a crucial friend of AFC and its staff, passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning, July 13. Judy was a truly remarkable folklorist …
Posted in: AFC History, ethnomusicologists, Folk Music, Folklorists
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Folklorist John Wesley Work III lived in an extraordinary time in the development of African American music. He was in college as the Harlem Renaissance began. African American composers were developing traditional blues into elite compositions and the piano became an instrument for new styles such as jazz and boogie-woogie. Work, like his brother Julian, …
Posted in: African American History, African Americans, Folk Music, Folklorists, Folksong, John Wesley Work III