Press Release

For Immediate Release
April 7, 2009
Sheryl Hayes
PH: 434-924-6562
FAX: 434-296-4714
Email: sheryl@virginia.edu

High Interest Event:  VIRGINIA FOLKLIFE APPRENTICESHIP SHOWCASE with Story, Photo and Sound Opportunities

What:
VFH announces its sixth annual Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Showcase, celebrating the sixth “graduating class” of folklife apprentices and introducing the public to the incoming corps of Virginia Folk Masters.  The event will feature musical performances, crafts, and real traditional Brunswick Stew.

Where:
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 145 Ednam Drive, Charlottesville, VA  22903, one mile from US 29-250 Bypass just off Ivy Rd/250 West, in the Boar’s Head Inn complex.

When:
Saturday, May 9th, 1:00 PM – 5:00 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Who:
Master Artists, Apprentices, and Virginia Folklife Program Director Jon Lohman will be available for photos and interviews.

Charlottesville, VA--The Virginia Folklife Program (VFP) will present its sixth annual Folklife Apprenticeship Showcase on Saturday, May 9th from 1 -5 pm at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH) Conference Center.  The one-day festival will feature the stunning music, crafts, and traditional skills of Virginia’s “Folk Masters” and their apprentices.  The Folklife Apprenticeships pair an experienced master artist with an eager apprentice for a one-on-one, nine-month learning experience, in order to help ensure that a particular art form is passed on in ways that are conscious of history and faithful to tradition. 

This year’s showcase will feature masters of a wide range of traditional music styles, from Richmond’s legendary gospel singer Maggie Ingram to those showcasing musical styles newer to Virginia, such as Ethiopian Orthodox singing and Persian drumming.  “I’m really excited about this year’s apprenticeship teams,” said Jon Lohman, the director of the Virginia Folklife Program at the VFH. “We’re working with incredibly accomplished musicians, dancers and crafts men and women who all wish to pass along these vitally important art forms to their eager apprentices.”

This year’s showcase will help illustrate the incredibly diverse range of folk traditions which still thrive throughout the Commonwealth.  Oyster shucking from the Northern Neck will be displayed beside traditional equine leatherwork from Southwest Virginia.  Master practitioners of maple syrup making from Highland County will demonstrate their craft beside apple cider makers from Albemarle County. 

A listing of the participants in this year’s showcase attests to the remarkable range and diversity of folk traditions in Virginia:

Celebrating the completion of the 2007-2008 Virginia Folklife Apprenticeships:

And Introducing the 2009-10 Master Folk Artists:

These master artists were selected from an open competition for applicants in all forms of Virginia’s traditional, expressive culture – from flatfooting to mandolin making, from basket making to quilt stitching, from country ham curing to old time banjo playing.  The apprenticeships also feature folk traditions newer to Virginia, from Mexican folk dancing to Indian Tabla drumming.

Apprenticeships accomplish more than the teaching and learning of a particular craft or skill.  During the duration of the apprenticeship period, the master artist and apprentice enter into a mutually enriching relationship, both cultural and personal, connecting to lessons and memories from the past and shared visions for the future. 

Folklife Apprenticeships are awarded for nine months, starting in May and ending in February.  Apprenticeship teams demonstrate their skills at the Apprenticeship Showcase, and will share the creative results of the apprenticeship at the Showcase the following year.

The Folklife Apprenticeship Program is an important initiative of the Virginia Folklife Program.  The Virginia Folklife Program documents, presents, and supports Virginia’s living cultures, traditions, and folkways.  The VFP is a program of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, a statewide organization created in 1974 to enhance the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of the Commonwealth by creating learning opportunities for all Virginians.

The purpose of the VFH is to bring the humanities fully into Virginia's public life, assisting individuals and communities in their efforts to understand the past, confront important issues in the present, and shape a desirable future based on conscious choice. The Foundation brings together people from across the Commonwealth with differing backgrounds and viewpoints--interested citizens, scholars, community leaders, and experts from many fields--creating an environment in which new ideas are encouraged and new ways of thinking are possible. For more on the Foundation visit www.virginiafoundation.org.

For more information on the Apprenticeship Program and images, please consult our website:
www.virginiafolklife.org