Sights & SoundsRichmond Folk Festival Bolivian Parade: A Feast for the Senses
The 2015 Richmond Folk Festival was nothing short of glorious: great weather, enthusiastic crowds, and excellent music, food, and crafts. A highlight of the festival was the parade of Bolivian …
NewsBolivian Traditions to Come Alive at the Richmond Folk Festival
Virginia is home to the largest Bolivian-born population in the country. In celebration of Bolivian cultural vitality in the Commonwealth, the Virginia Folklife Program will spotlight the traditions that connect …
Sights & SoundsAndrei Saveliev and Aaron Mott
The balalaika, a traditional Russian stringed instrument with a triangular wooden body, is often referred to as “the Russian three-string guitar.” It was considered a folk instrument in Russia and …
NewsGalleries Host Virginia Folklife Program Photographs
Photographs from the Virginia Folklife Program made by staff photographer Pat Jarrett are on display at two separate galleries in the Commonwealth this summer and fall. Jarrett’s photographs of Joe …
NewsCelebrating Youth “Tradition Bearers” and the Masters Who Taught Them at 2015 Richmond Folk Festival
Fans of the Richmond Folk Festival may notice a bit of a younger vibe at the Virginia Folklife Area this year. While the Virginia Folklife Program will continue to celebrate …
Sights & SoundsFolklife Master Artist Ganna Natsag meets the Dalai Lama
Ganna Natsag, a master artist of the Mongolian mask making tradition who lives in Arlington, traveled to India in December to visit the Dalai Lama in a quest for world …
NewsFarewell and thanks to Barry Bergey
We at the Virginia Folklife Program would like to send our best wishes to Barry Bergey in his retirement from his post as Director of the Division of Folk and …
Sights & SoundsFrancisca Ramirez Acosta and Laura Ortiz
The word mole can refer to a number of richly flavored sauces traditionally used in Mexican cuisine, or to dishes based on these sauces. Varieties of mole include black, red, …
Sights & SoundsFlory Jagoda and Aviva Chernick
Flory Jagoda was born in 1925 in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and was raised in the city’s Sephardic Jewish community. When the Sephardic Jews were forced into exile from Spain and Portugal …
Sights & SoundsA Conversation With Laura Ortiz
A Mexican Folk Dancer connects to her daughter and heritage through the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program By Anna Kariel “The story of Virginians, other than the story of Virginia Indians, …
Sights & SoundsJessica Canaday Stewart and Vanessa Adkins
The Chickahominy Tribe, currently the second largest tribe in Virginia, is based primarily in Charles City County. Because of their historic proximity to Jamestown, members of the autonomous Algonquin-speaking Chickahominy …
Sights & SoundsEarl and Scottie Blake
Earl Blake. (Peter Hedlund/The Virginia Folklife Program) The Latin roots of the term Carnival mean “farewell to meat,” as Carnival falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of …
