The Library of Virginia and the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities are presenting a two-day “Celebration of Virginia Folklife” on July 7 and 8, 2023, as part of the Library’s year-long 200th anniversary celebration.
Join us on Friday, July 7 for a reception, film screening, and stage program honoring four teams from the broader Richmond area who completed a Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship in 2022-23! The following artists will be honored during this event:
- D. Brad Hatch, who has trained fellow Patawomeck tribal members David Onks IV and Reagan Andersen to weave eel pots in Fredericksburg
- Isha M Renta Lopez of Fredericksburg, who trained with one of the leaders in bomba dance, Margarita Tata Cepeda of San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Bernadette Lark and Alanjha Harris of Roanoke, who have been practicing Gullah Geechee-style gospel singing
- Joshua Purnell, who has worked with Tom Norris and members of Tidewater Blues to revive Norfolk’s community blues dancing
On Saturday, July 8, return 12-4pm to experience (and maybe join in) live music from a variety of Virginian traditions and family activities. More info.
This is a free event, but registration is required. Online registration has sold out, but we will likely be able to accommodate walk-in guests!
The Library of Virginia is wheelchair accessible, if you have requests for other accessibility accommodations, please be in touch at folklife@virginiahumanities.org by Friday, June 23.
5:30pm: Reception
Enjoy complimentary light refreshments and a display of eel pots built by D. Brad Hatch, David Onks IV, and Reagan Andersen.
6pm: Film Screening
Short documentaries of the artist teams invite you to step inside the workshops, practice rooms, and studios of Apprenticeship Artists to learn more about these cultural traditions and the communities that sustain them.
7pm: Apprenticeship Celebration
We will welcome each team onto the stage to celebrate their work together!
Since its launch in 2002, Virginia Folklife’s Apprenticeship Program has served 142 two-or-more person teams of mentor artists and their apprentices, granting funding to encourage the continuation of living traditions and a public platform to share their work. The program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts Folk Arts Program, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, with additional support provided by the J & E Berkley Foundation. More about the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities.
