Sights & Sounds

A Family’s Drag Tradition in Bristol

Seventeen-year-old Anna Fleenor of Bristol first raced on a drag strip as part of a youth racing class. From the passenger seat, her father, Chris—a seasoned racer—offered tips to quell her nerves. But as soon as the light turned green, he gave Anna a command that she still hears in her head when it’s time to race: “Mash it.”

Sights & Sounds

Celebration of Virginia Folklife at the Library of Virginia Recap

Last weekend, we presented a two-day “Celebration of Virginia Folklife” on July 7 and 8, 2023 at the Library of Virginia in Richmond, as part of the Library’s year-long 200th anniversary celebration.

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Virginia Folklife Area at the 2023 Richmond Folk Festival

Experience the crafts, music, and culture of Bristol and beyond in the Virginia Folklife Area of the 2023 Richmond Folk Festival!

October 14–15, 2023 | Richmond
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Floyd Living Traditions Festival

The festival will showcase traditional and contemporary expressions of crafts, including basket making, quilting, spinning, weaving, instrument making, blacksmithing, woodworking, and more.

August 26, 2023 | 10AM – 6PM | Floyd
Sights & Sounds

Linda Skeens’s ‘Blue Ribbon Kitchen’

This year, Linda Skeens of Russell County returned to the VA-KY Fair with a new book in tow: “Blue Ribbon Kitchen: Recipes and Tips from America’s Favorite County Fair Champion.”

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$52,000 in Awards Distributed to Support Folk Arts and Culture in Bristol Region

The Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team is thrilled to announce the recipients of its grant and fellowship program to support folk arts and culture in the region.

Sights & Sounds

A Legacy of Violin Making — Folklife Fieldnotes Episode 12

Richard Maxham is apprenticing under Lynchburg violin maker Daniel Smith, though the Maxham name has been intimately involved with violin making and performance for five generations.

Sights & Sounds

D. Brad Hatch, David Onks IV and Reagan Andersen

Four years ago, Dr. D. Brad Hatch was one of just two members of the Patawomeck Indian tribe who knew how to weave an eel pot. Now Brad is teaching fellow tribal members David Onks IV and Reagan Andersen how to make eel pots as part of the Virginia Folklife Program’s 2022-23 Apprenticeship Program cohort.

News

Announcing the 2022 Virginia Folklife Stage and Area at the Richmond Folk Festival

This year’s craft demonstration area at the Richmond Folk Festival will feature an Instrument Makers Workshop and more.

News

Virginia Commission for the Arts Fellowship Applications Open

The Virginia Commission for the Art’s 2022 Artist Fellowship applications are now open for the disciplines of works on paper and songwriting. A limited number of Artist Fellowships in the …

photo of a workbench with tools and a violin in the foregroundEvent

Richmond Folk Festival

The Virginia Folklife Program returns to the Richmond Folk Festival! On Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9, visit the Folklife Area to see demonstrations by apprentices from the 2019-2020 …

October 8–9, 2022 | Richmond Folk Festival, Brown's Island, Richmond, VA 23219
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