NewsMid-Atlantic Arts Announces Two Virginia “Walking Together” Grantees
The US Regional Arts Organizations (USRAO) today announced the grant recipients of Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color. A total of $3.34 million has been awarded to 96 grantees. Fifty-six …
NewsVirginia Folklore Society Community is Rekindled
On November 19, 2025, roughly 45 people participated in a Virginia Folklore Society (VFS) interest meeting and reunion on Zoom. Folks signed on from as far west as Carroll County …
Sights & Sounds“Riverlore” at the Richmond Folk Festival
We brought 15 boats to our site on the hill above Tredegar Street, one 40-foot batteau to the Brown’s Island canal, and several live mussels and blue crabs were on hand to help teach visitors about waterways.
Sights & SoundsWhat Can Rivers Teach Us?
Riverlore, the theme for the Virginia Folklife Area at this year’s Richmond Folk Festival, is a word mash-up that invites us to imagine all the complex ways rivers and people …
Sights & SoundsAmir Kilich, Hayrunisa Yenilmes, Ajinur Setiwaldi & Subhinur Elemin
In this year’s Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, mentor artists Kheyrunnisa and Amir are passing on the rhythms, melodies, and meaning of Uyghur folk music to apprentices Subhinur and Ajinur, building a bridge between generations and homelands.
Sights & SoundsOne Mural, Many Hands: Art, Heritage, and Community in Clintwood
While the nation tuned into protests and parades — and some braced for violence — in the quiet Appalachian town of Clintwood, around a hundred people gathered on June 14 to celebrate something enduring: community.
Sights & SoundsEllen Elmes, Renée Wienecke & Jenna Taylor
If you’ve driven through the network of small coalfield communities in far Southwest Virginia, chances are you’ve seen a mural painted by Ellen Elmes.
Sights & SoundsClyde Jenkins, Teacher of Virginia Traditions
Clyde Jenkins lives off Jenkins Lane on land his great-great grandfather acquired in Page County in the eighteenth century.
Sights & SoundsLessons from a Fig Library
In this feature, Virginia state folklorist Katy Clune introduces four figs from Bernard Herman’s unique library—Westerhouse, Princess Anne, Hog Island, and Brunswick.
Sights & SoundsPartnership Power: Elegba Folklore Society & Virginia Folklife
While annual funding may limit the number of Apprenticeship Program awards we can offer, there is one tactic with near-boundless potential: partnerships.
Sights & SoundsKily Vializ y Maurice “Tito” Sanabria (Español)
Después de descubrir la música de Kily Vializ, Tito Sanabria de Richmond decidió acercarse al artista para ver si estaría dispuesto a enseñarle más sobre la plena Mayagüezana.
Sights & SoundsKily Vializ & Maurice “Tito” Sanabria
After discovering Kily Vializ’s music, Tito Sanabria of Richmond decided to reach out to the artist to see if he would be open to teaching him more about plena Mayagüezana (Mayagüez-style plena).
