The latest issue of Southern Cultures, a journal published by UNC Press, features a story by Julia Gartrell and Katy Clune (director of the Virginia Folklife Program) about the current state of repair industries in North Carolina.
The piece reflects more than a year and a half of fieldwork, made possible with the support of an Archie Green Fellowship from the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center. We hope you’ll take a moment and check it out.
Often, when something is fixed, the repair itself is invisible—the chip is polished away, the paint perfectly matched. We wanted to know about the stewards of our belongings, the folks who know how to reverse our mistakes and erase the imprint of time passing. This set of twenty interviews, conducted between September 2020 and July 2021, opens the workshop door and steps behind the customer counter to reveal the artistry, satisfaction, and expressions of care behind repair.
From North Carolina Repair Professionals
