Corey Harris, right, is apprenticing Lamont Jack Pearley in exploring the roots of African American music in and around Central Virginia during this cohort of apprenticeships. Harris and Pearley posed for a portrait at Evergreen Baptist Church in Profitt, Virginia on 2/10/24. Profitt was a Black enclave settled after the end of the Civil War. Pat Jarrett/Virginia HumanitiesSights & Sounds
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Corey Harris & Lamont Jack Pearley

Through our 2023–2024 Folklife Apprenticeship Program, self-taught guitarist Lamont Jack Pearley has spent the last year apprenticing the fundamentals of Piedmont-style blues with Corey Harris of Charlottesville.

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Discover Textile Origin Stories at the Richmond Folk Festival

ABOVE: Clockwise from top left: Unicia R Buster (art quilt artist), Corey Harris (acoustic blues), Elegba Folklore Society’s Djembe Ensemble (drum call and musical origin stories), Samaria Marley (gourd instrument …

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Danny Knicely is Willie Marschner the tradition of old time fiddling and improvisation.Sights & Sounds
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Danny Knicely & Willie Marschner 

Multi-instrumentalist Danny Knicely of Taylorstown is apprenticing Willie Marschner in the tradition of old time fiddling and improvisation.

Sights & Sounds
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Kily 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.

Kily Vializ and Maurice “Tito” Sanabria hold their drumsSights & Sounds
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Kily 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).

Event

Plenazo Community Jam featuring Kadencia 

A Puerto Rican tradition comes to Hardywood following Kadencia’s two performances at the Richmond Folk Festival! Based in Richmond, Kadencia performs plena—a narrative, energetic, and percussive musical genre created in …

September 28, 2024 | 7PM – 9PM | Richmond
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LP Kelly at Peaks of Otter

LP Kelly’s music harkens the early days of American roots music.

September 8, 2024 | 2PM – 4PM | Bedford
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Fundacion Socio Cultural Diablada Boliviana performed the Diablada dance. A number Bolivian cultural groups, including Fundacion Socio Cultural Diablada Boliviana, gathered for Salve Virgencita Del Socavon 2024 in a parking lot at James W Robinson Jr. Secondary School in Fairfax on Sunday 3/10/24 to celebrate the Carnival season and the Virgin Mary through dance and other cultural expressions. Police shut down the festival before the conclusion of scheduled dances. Photo by Pat Jarrett/Virginia HumanitiesEvent
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Reston Multicultural Festival

Join Virginia Folklife at the Reston Multicultural Festival! This free annual event is a celebration of Reston’s diversity and community spirit.

September 21, 2024 | 11AM – 6PM | Reston
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Gourd banjo maker Dr. Dena Jennings, right, is teaching Samaria Marley the craft of building gourd instruments. Photos made at DenaÕs farm in Nasons, Virginia on 4/17/24. Pat Jarrett/Virginia HumanitiesSights & Sounds
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Dena Jennings & Samaria Marley 

Dena Jennings and her apprentice Samaria Marley have much more in common than their interest in building gourd banjos.

Storyteller Fred Motley has always had a clear vision of his life, he wanted to be a Griot, or community storyteller. He is apprenticing Karen Williamson of nearby Caswell County, North Carolina in the craft. The pair were photographed at the Danville Museum of Fine Art and History on 5/13/24. Pat Jarrett/Virginia HumanitiesSights & Sounds
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Fred Motley & Karen Williamson

This 2023–2024 Folklife Apprenticeship duo shares a love for collecting stories from people in their community and preserving them for posterity. 

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National Roadside Markers for Folklife Now Available in Virginia

We’re pleased to announce a partnership with the William G. Pomeroy Foundation to bring markers celebrating cultural heritage and traditions to Virginia. Applications for Legends & Lore® markers in Virginia …

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Announcing the 2024 Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Awards

The Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities has awarded six teams of artists Folklife Apprenticeships for 2024–2025.

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