A young woman stands in the middle of the woodsSights & Sounds

Home Is the Sound of Rivers and Crooked Roads

Elsa Howell, who is learning the art of Appalachian ballad singing through our Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, reflects on the important role music plays in her culture and community.

A group of 4 men sit side by side on a low wall. They are all wearing blue shirts with a matching patchSights & Sounds

Raceway Ministries Continues Serving Race Fans

Founded in 1992, Bristol Raceway Ministries is a church-led effort to organize services for spectators at the Bristol Motor Speedway. “We get to experience every aspect of life here at the track,” says volunteer Bobby Branch.

Photo of a young man holding a banjo and looking away with a smileSights & Sounds

Forging Connections with Bristol’s Tyler Hughes

Old-time musician Tyler Hughes is now co-managing a new funding opportunity for traditional arts in and around Bristol. “People in the Appalachian region deserve to have the fullest life that they can achieve,” he says.

two women standing in an open green field with mountains on the horizonSights & Sounds

Elizabeth LaPrelle & Elsa Howell

Elsa Howell first met Elizabeth LaPrelle, an accomplished ballad singer, banjo player, and crankie maker, as an eight-year-old.

Event

I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s upcoming exhibit “I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music” was supported in part by a Virginia Humanities grant.

March 23 – December 31, 2023 | Bristol
Close up on a guitar neck featuring intricate inlaid detailing along the fretsNews

Two New Opportunities For Traditional Arts In Bristol & Beyond

Made up of representatives from regional cultural organizations and independent artists, the Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team works to promote and support folk arts and culture in the greater Bristol community.

News

Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellowship Applications Open

Fellows may include, but are not limited to home cooks and bakers, seed savers, farmers, community elders, keepers of recipes and traditional foodways knowledge, hunters, and foragers, who have made …

News

New Grant Opportunity for Appalachian Folk & Traditional Arts

What are the Central Appalachia Living Traditions Folk & Traditional Arts Experiences Grants? Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions: Folk and Traditional Arts Experiences grants fund public-facing projects and events …

Sights & Sounds

Mac Traynham & Ashlee Watkins – Folklife Fieldnotes Episode 6

“I only wish that all of my bluegrass and old-time pickin’ friends in Australia could be exposed to this kind of culture and they would hear the difference in it too,” …

Event

“In Good Keeping in 2022” Virginia Beach Screening

Update: We have a limited number of tickets still available! Event attendance will close when we reach 150 or on Tuesday, July 26, at 4pm. The Virginia Folklife Program invites …

July 26, 2022 | 5:30PM – 8PM | Virginia Beach
News

Partnering to Invest in Appalachian Folk Arts Communities

In 2021, the Virginia Folklife Program began a three-year partnership with the Mid Atlantic Arts project Central Appalachia Living Traditions, or CALT. CALT promotes the understanding and recognition of folk arts …

Event

“In Good Keeping in 2022” Film Premiere

Join us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a film screening and discussion honoring the artists and tradition bearers from the 2021-2022 apprenticeship class!  Since its inception in …

June 15, 2022 | 5:30PM – 8PM | Bristol
CLOSE