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 2002, the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program has served over 150 two-or-more person teams of mentor artists and apprentices representing the breadth of cultural expression in the Commonwealth.
See the premiere of In Good Keeping in 2022, a feature-length documentary film showcasing the most recent cohort, followed by a discussion (and a little music) from participating mentor-apprentice artist pairs, including Walter “Skip” Herman and KT Vandyke; Emily Spencer and Lisa Ring; Chris Testerman, Sophia Burnett and Karlie Keepfer; Eddie Bond and Andrew Small; and Mac Traynham and Ashlee Watkins.
This event is co-presented by our hosts, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions. The museum featured the special exhibit Real Folk: Passing on Trades & Traditions through the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program in 2020; you can learn more about that exhibit and experience a virtual tour of it here.
Free and open to all, but please note that registration is required.
Reception with refreshments will start at 5:30 pm, the screening will begin at 6 pm. Following the film, stay to hear discussion and music by the featured artists.
Watch the Trailer
VIRGINIA FOLKLIFE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
The Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program has supported artists who are masters in traditions ranging from instrument repair in southwest Virginia to Mongolian mask-making in Northern Virginia to growing and grinding heirloom cornmeal on the Eastern Shore. By awarding teacher-student teams financial support and providing a platform to share their work, the Virginia Folklife Program works to sustain the community traditions that entertain, nourish, inspire, and define Virginians. The Virginia Folklife Program, based at Virginia Humanities, is the state center for the documentation, presentation, support, and celebration of Virginia’s rich cultural heritage. The Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program receives funding support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts Folk Arts Program.
