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N.C. Folklore Society

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North Carolina Folklore Society
P.O. Box 62271
Durham, NC 27715

 

 

RESOURCES

FOLKLORISTS DIRECTORY | STATEWIDE AGENCIES | LOCAL SOCIETIES & GROUPS | OTHER ORGANIZATIONS | PUBLICATIONS | ARCHIVES & CENTERS | FOLKLIFE PROGRAMS IN UNIVERSITIES | FOLKLIFE-RELATED WEBSITES

FOLKLIFE SPEAKERS:

The North Carolina Folklore Society is seeking folklorists who are interested in speaking or leading discussion groups on folklife topics. The list will be shared with libraries, state government agencies, museums, nonprofit organizations, and others who are seeking speakers on folklife topics. To be added to the list of folklore speakers, please fill out this form and mail to the NC Folklore Society:

North Carolina Folklore Society
P.O. Box 62271
Durham, NC 27715

FOLKLORISTS DIRECTORY:

Directory of NC Folklorists compiled by Thomas McGowan
with additions
North Carolina is graced with an excellent cohort of folklorists with varied interests and special skills. Talking with these colleagues has made gathering this listing a pleasant task. I hope this list will be useful to community groups looking for speakers or folklorists to work on special projects.

 

N.C. STATE FOLKLIFE RESOURCES LIST
Compiled by Thomas McGowan

Once each year our state folklore society provides a list of resources available to North Carolinians interested in folklore and folklife. Entries are arranged by institution title, mailing address, phone number, e-mail and website listings, organizational description, membership information, and contact person.  

STATEWIDE AGENCIES:

North Carolina Folklore Society
P.O. Box 62271, Durham, NC 27715
252.328.2297
info@ncfolkloresociety.org

State society supports appreciation and study of North Carolina folklife traditions; annual meeting; Brown-Hudson folklore awards, community traditions awards and student essay awards; North Carolina Folklore Journal and Folklore in the Carolinas (formerly Newsletter of the North Carolina Folklore Society); resource center and North Carolina folklife information network.
Memberships: institutions $25, individuals $20, students $15, lifetime $200.
Joint membership NCFS & SC Traditional Arts Network (SCTAN) $20

Folklife Program N.C. Arts Council
Mail Service Center 4632, Raleigh, NC 27699-4632
919.733.7898; fax 919.715.5406
email: katherine.reynolds@ncmail.net
http://www.ncarts.org
The Folklife Program of the North Carolina Arts Council supports artists and projects that document and present the statešs rich traditional culture. It works to promote public knowledge and appreciation of North Carolina folk arts and folklife resources, and participates in a wide range of projects including cultural tourism and arts in education.
Wayne Martin, director; Beverly Patterson, folklife specialist; Katherine Reynolds, AIE/folklife assistant.

 

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North Carolina Folk Art Society
c/o Barry Huffman, 330 29th Ave. Drive NW, Hickory, NC 28601
Founded in 1988, this group studies and promotes the understanding of folk art and disseminates information about folk artists and folk art materials. This society holds a quarterly meeting, mounts exhibitions, gives lectures, and publishes Voices annually.

John C. Campbell Folk School
One Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
800.365.5724; 828.837.2775
http://www.folkschool.or
Since its establishment in 1925, the Folk School has been an important institution in the Appalachian Folk Revival. Today, the school continues as a center for the teaching of folk art, craft, music, dance and folklore. The school's folklore program documents and presents musical and material culture traditions. The school publishes a catalog twice a year.
Jan Davidson, director; David A. Brose, folklorist.

State Historic Preservation Office
N.C. Division of Archives and History, N.C. Dept. of Cultural Resources,
4617 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-4617
919.733.4763; fax 919.733.8653
http://www.hpo.dcr.state.nc.us
This state agency conducts archeological and historic building surveys, maintains an archive of historic building surveys, and administers the program for this state that pertains to the National Registry of Historic Places. This office places a major emphasis upon traditional architecture and rural or small town landscapes. The office publishes a semi-annual newsletter. Survey publications relating to about one-third of North Carolina's counties are available. Field office staff are located in Asheville and Greenville.

North Carolina Dance Alliance
P.O. Box 110, Raleigh, NC 27602
The Dance Alliance is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to the growth and development of dance in North Carolina. It includes traditional types of dance along with classical and popular forms of movement. The Alliance serves as an advocacy organization for the community of dancers and enthusiasts in this state, while it provides networking connections, sponsors dance events, and publishes a newsletter entitled Dance Voice.

North Carolina ECHO
State Library of North Carolina
Raleigh, NC  27699-4640
Kim Andersen Cumber , Project Archivist
(919) 807-7418
kcumber@library.dcr.state.nc.us
http://www.ncecho.org
North Carolina ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online) is a North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, State Library, project that supports a web portal providing access to and searchable information on most historic sites, museums, archives, special collections, and other cultural institutions in the state. By utilizing the internet and digital technologies, North Carolina ECHO wants to help build local and regional communities of cultural institutions and help fund the creation of online resources. We hope to facilitate the sharing of information and resources between institutions and promote mutually beneficial partnerships across different types of institutions. We hope that through these new relationships and through our web portal http://www.ncecho.org we will be able to expand public knowledge of and public access to North Carolina's cultural heritage.

N.C. Society of Historians, Inc.
P.O. Box 93, Sherrills Ford, NC 28673-0093
email: ncsh2001@yahoo.com
The Society's main activities are the promotion of N.C. works by historians, genealogists, preservationists and archaeologists. It presents yearly awards at an annual awards meeting held each November. Membership dues are $12 individual; $10 senior citizen/student; and $15 family/business/group.
Elizabeth B. Sherrill, ebsherrill@twave.net

 

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LOCAL SOCIETIES AND GROUPS:

Acoustic Stage
P.O. Box 9341, Hickory, NC 28603
828.324.5951; fax 828.327.3166
email: acoustic_stage@w3link.com
http://www.acousticstage.org
Acoustic Stage is committed to serving the region by fostering an appreciation of acoustic music which has its roots in traditional forms such as jazz, folk, blues and bluegrass music through concerts and other appropriate means. Membership is open to all supporters beginning at $15 for individuals and $25 for families.
Bill Bost.

Charlotte Folk Society
P.O. Box 36864
Charlotte, NC 28236-6864
704.372.FOLK (3655); fax 704.563.5382
email: phubicki@carolina.rr.com
http://www.folksociety.org
Dedicated to promoting the ongoing enjoyment and preservation of traditional and contemporary folk music, dance, crafts and lore in the Southern Piedmont, since 1982.Membership beginning at $25 for individuals and $35 for families with special prices for several categories.
Wanda Hubicki, Communications Chair .

Pinecone, Piedmont Council of Traditional Music
P.O. Box 28534, Raleigh, NC 27611
919.990.1900; fax 919.664.8301
email: pinecone1@mindspring.com
http://www.pinecone.org
Pinecone sponsors monthly concerts, dances, playing sessions, shapenote singings, a monthly newsletter, a weekly radio broadcast on WQDR FM 94.7, Sunday evenings 6-9. Pinecone serves as a community resource for information regarding traditional and traditionally-inspired arts and artists. Interested parties may contact Pinecone to receive information. Individual memberships $15; family $25.
Susan Newberry.

Triangle Blues Society
P.O. Box 61844, Durham, NC 27715-1844
email: mlaw@mindspring.com
http://www.triangleblues.org
This organization promotes and preserves blues music, serving Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and the surrounding area. TBS presents concerts, a monthly blues jam, and an annual blues talent competition, and the Society assists other Triangle organizations with blues presentations. Publications include a monthly calendar of blues events, and an occasional issue of the newsletter Blues News.
Mary Law, Vice President .

Yadkin Valley Folklore Society
613 Maupin Ave., Salisbury, NC 28144-6325
828.636.7170 or 857.9250
This very active local group provides information to its membership and "shares with others traditional music, dance, crafts, customs, stories and other areas of knowledge concerning folk heritage." It sponsors public events, provides sound equipment for other events, arranges folk music and dance classes, and works in league with he Rowan County Parks and Recreation Department and the United Arts Council of Rowan on festivals, exhibits and tours.

 

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OTHER ORGANIZATIONS:

American Folklore Society
Founded in 1888, the American Folklore Society serves to stimulate interest and research in all aspects of the study of folklore and folklife. The Society exists to further the discipline of folklore studies, to improve the professional well-being of its members, and to increase the respect given to diverse cultures and their traditions.

 

PUBLICATIONS:

Children's Folklore Review
Department of English, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858
email: SullivanC@mail.ecu.edu
Dr. C. W. Sullivan III, Editor.
The Children's Folklore Review is published twice yearly by the Children's Folklore Section of the American Folklore Society with support from East Carolina University. The majority of each issue is composed of articles on any and all aspects of children's traditions--oral, social, customary, and material. The remainder of each issue includes the minutes of the Section's annual meeting, book reviews, materials from the internet, and notes and announcements. CFR is a refereed journal with an international circulation and an ISSN number; articles that appear in CFR are indexed in the MLA and other major bibliographies. CFR has been at ECU, beginning with volume I, number 2, for over 20 years.

Folklore in the Carolinas (formerly Newsletter of the North Carolina Folklore Society)
Department of English, Benedict College,
P.O. Box 83, 1600 Hardin St., Columbia, SC 29204
email: scfolklife@hotmail.com
Stephen Criswell, editor.

North Carolina Folklore Journal
Department of English, Box 8105, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27695-8105
919.328.6726
email: Prioli@social.chass.ncsu.edu
http://www.ecu.edu/ncfolk/pub.htm
Dr. Carmine Prioli, editor.

Appalachian Heritage Magazine
CPO 2166, Berea, KY 40403
859.985.3699; fax 859.985.3903
email: appalachianheritage@berea.edu
http://www.berea.edu/appalachianheritage
Since 1973, Appalachian Heritage has been a leading literary magazine of the Southern Appalachian Region. It presents a comfortable mix of established authors and exciting new regional voices through poetry, short stories, literary biography and criticism, and photography and art.

North Carolina Pottery Center Newsletter
P.O. Box 531, Seagrove, NC 27341-0531
910.873.8430; fax 910.873.8530
This publication provides information about the N.C. Pottery Center, its goals and plans, organization, and other activities. Issues also include information more national in scope, as well as festival listings, kiln openings, lectures and opportunities for group classes and convention gatherings coordinated by the Pottery Center.

The Old-Time Herald
P.O. Box 51812, Durham, NC 27717
919.402.8495; 919.402.8495
email: oth@mindspring.com
http://www.oldtimeherald.org
A quarterly publication dedicated to old-time and American roots music. It focuses on current and historical music of all regional variations. Regular columns include Dance Beat, Workshop, and Here and There. Also extensive review section covering CDs, books and videos. A yearly individual subscription is $20; $25 for institutions, libraries and foreign.

Raw Vision
163 Amsterdam Avenue, #203, New York, NY 10023-5001, USA
Fax: 212.724.4441; Tel: 212.714.8381
or
42 Llanvanor Road, London NW2 2AP, England
Fax: +44 (0) 1923 859897; Tel: +44 (0) 1923 856644
or
37 rue de Gergovie, 75014 Paris, France
Tel: (1) 40 44 96 46
email: subscriptions@rawvision.com
http://www.rawvision.com/
Raw Vision is an international journal of intuitive and visionary art that chronicles Outsider Art.

 

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ARCHIVES AND CENTERS:

Appalachian Room Special Collections
Renfro Library, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill 28754
828.689.1244; fax 828.689.1474

Center for Documentary Studies
1317 W. Pettigrew Street, Durham, NC 27705
919.660.3663; fax 919.681.7600
email: docstudies@duke.edu
http://cds.aas.duke.edu
Director Tom Rankin
The Center for Documentary Studies, an interdisciplinary educational organization affiliated with Duke University, is dedicated to advancing documentary work that combines experience and creativity with education and community life. Founded in 1989, CDS connects the arts and humanities to fieldwork, drawing upon photography, filmmaking, oral history, folklore, and writing as catalysts for education and change. CDS supports the active examination of contemporary society, the recognition of collaboration as central to documentary work, and the presentation of experiences that heighten our historical and cultural awareness. CDS achieves this work through academic courses, research, oral history and other fieldwork, gallery and traveling exhibitions, annual awards, book publishing, community-based projects, and public events. Supporters may join Friends of Documentary Studies.
Lynn McKnight, Communications Director .

Charlotte Music Archives
Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County,
310 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, 28202-2176
704.336.2980
This collection of sound recordings, photographs, films and videos, and written materials focuses on the music of Charlotte and North/South Carolina. CMA sponsors concerts, educational prorams and exhibits.

Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild & Waterfowl Museum
P.O. Box 556, 1205 Island Road, Harkers Island, NC 28531
919.728.1742
email: amspacher@mail.clis.com
http://www.coresound.com
The Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild represents generations of duck decoy making in the Core Sound region of Carteret County. Organized in 1987, this group has been instrumental in continuing the art of traditional duck carving, increasing appreciation for the older working decoys and the documentation of both long-term and "newer" carvers. The Museum was established in 1992. The Museum hosts demonstrations that occur throughout the year and provides programs on local culture and history. In addition, the Museum offers exhibits of old working decoys and artifacts and showcases the work of local artists carvers and persons involved in their production of craft items. The Museum provides educational resources in its library and through its bookstore/craft shop. The Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild and Waterfowl Museum work together to sponsor the CoreSound Decoy Festival, an annual waterfowl celebration held the first week of December on Harkers Island. The Museum has various membership categories. It publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Core Sounder.
Karen Amspacher, Museum Director.

 

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East Carolina University Folklore Archive
Dept. of English, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353
919.328.6726
email: baldwink@mail.ecu.edu
Includes fieldwork done by students at ECU, local medical folklore, and important materials from Eastern North Carolina.
Karen Baldwin, Director.

Mountain Heritage Center
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723
828.227.7129
http://www.wcu.edu/mhc/
Activities include exhibits, a festival, cassette and compact disc releases documenting the performing traditions of western North Carolina.
Tyler Blethen, Director.

Mountain Music Archives
Warren Wilson College Library, 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa 287798
828.298.3325

John C. Campbell Folk School
One Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
828.837.2775; 800.365.5724
Archival holdings include ballad collections by Olive Dame Campbell, Cecil Sharp and John Jacob Niles; photographic images as captured by Doris Ulmann; correspondence from and between Olive Dame Campbell, Doris Ulmann, Frances Goodrich, Lucy Morgan, the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild and others.

Museum of the Cherokee Indian
Hwy. 441 and Drama Rd., Cherokee NC 28719
828.497.3481; fax 828.497.4985
email: BoTaylor@cherokeemuseum.org
http://www.cherokeemuseum.org
The museum archive includes manuscript materials on Cherokee history, more than one thousand black and white photographs c. 1880-present, microfilm of Cherokee material from foreign archives, some interview materials, and the William Holland Thomas Collection. The museum sponsors a folk festival in June, a website, and publishes The Journal of Cherokee Studies. Research by appointment; memberships available.

 

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Museum of the Native American Resource Center
University of North Carolina at Pembroke, One University Drive, Pembroke, NC 28372
910.521.6282
email: stan.knick@uncp.edu
http://www.uncp.edu/nativemuseum/
Native-American prehistory, history, culture, art and contemporary issues. Annual memberships are welcome at various levels.
Stan Knick.

North Carolina Maritime Museum
315 Front Street, Beaufort, NC 28516
252.728.7317; fax 252.728.2108
email: maritime@ncmail.net
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/maritime
The N.C. Maritime Museum exhibits the statešs maritime history and coastal natural history. Field trips and special programs are offered throughout the year. In the museum's Watercraft Center visitors may watch the restoration and construction of full-sized wooden boats and ship models. Special programs include Summer Science School for Children, the Junior Sailing Program, Cape Lookout Studies Program, and boatbuilding skills classes. A calendar of activities is available upon request.
The N.C. Maritime Museum system administers branches at Southport and on Roanoke Island.
The Friends of the Museum is a membership support group that helps to fund museum programs and projects. Write, phone, or email the museum for membership information or email fom@clis.com.
Jane Wolff, Public Information/Volunteer Coordinator.

Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library, Duke University
PO. Box 90185, Durham, NC 27708_0185
919.660.5820; fax 919.660.5934
email: special_collections@duke.edu
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/
Research, field notes, transcripts and recordings of noted folklorists including Frank C. Brown and Frank and Anne Warner.
Linda McCurdy.

Southern Folklife Collection
CB#3926 Wilson Library, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
919.962.1345; fax 919.962.3594
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/sfc1
The SFC collection features many important collections relating to vernacular music and folk arts. Holdings are in a wide range of formats including film, video, audio recordings, still photographs and printed word. Papers include John C. and Olive Dame Campbell, Guy Johnson, Howard Odum, Arthur Hudson, Ralph Steele Boggs, Annabel Morris Buchanon, D.K. Wilgus, and Guthrie Meade. Materials include a wide range of ballad, folksong, narrative and other genres of folklore.
Steve Weiss, Head, SFC.

Stecoah Valley Center
121 Schoolhouse Road, Robbinsville, NC 28771
828.479.3364
email: loweremily@hotmail.com
http://www.main.nc.us/svcenter
This non-profit organization formed by a group of local citizens is dedicated to the preservation of mountain culture, the community, and the old Stecoah School building.
Emily Lower, folklife specialist and program coordinator.

William L. Eury Appalachian Collection
Belk Library, Appalachian State University, Boone 28608
828.262.4041; fax 828.262.2553
email: hayfj@appstate.edu
http://wwwl.appstate.edu/dept/library/applib.html
Folksong collections by I.G. Greer and J.R. York family; collections by W. Amos Abrams and recordings of Beech Mountain area.
Fred J. Hay, librarian.

 

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FOLKLIFE PROGRAMS IN UNIVERSITIES:

Appalachian State University
B.A. and M.A. in Appalachian Studies, regional courses in history, folklore, music and anthropology.
Center For Appalachian Studies, University Hall, 828.262.4089

Davidson College
Folklore studies in Anthropology Dept.
Rosemary Zumwalt, Dept. of Anthropology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28306.

East Carolina University
B.A. or M.A. in English with a thesis in Folklore.
Dept. of English, ECU, Greenville, NC 27858-4353. 91./328.6041.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
B.A. Folklore, undergraduate minor in Folklore; M.A. in Folklore; Ph.D. minor in Folklore with major in another field.
Glenn Hinson, Chair.
Greenlaw Hall, CB #3520, UNC, Chapel Hill, 27599-3520.
919.962.4065, fax 919.962.3520.
email: ghinson@unc.edu
http://www.unc.edu/depts/folklore/

Warren Wilson College
Courses in American folklife and ethnic music; Appalachian studies concentration including contemporary regional field studies.
Joan Moser, Appalachian Studies Coordinator, Dept. of Sociology, Anthropology and Social World, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC 28778.
828.298.3325, ext. 359

 

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FOLKLORE-RELATED WEBSITES:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage's Folklife Festival 2004 Water Ways: Mid-Atlantic Maritime Communities web site
Some of the fieldwork for this exhibit was carried out in North Carolina, and it contains information about NC maritime culture.

Artisans Gallery
This is a commercial site, but it has a listing of resources that includes many non-profit museums and galleries.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration's Digital Classroom
To encourage teachers of students at all levels to use archival documents in the classroom, the Digital Classroom provides materials from the National Archives and methods for teaching with primary sources. Visit our page regularly as we expand our offerings.

Virtual Jamestown
A digital research, teaching and learning project that explores the legacies of the Jamestown settlement and "the Virginia experiment." As a work in progress, Virtual Jamestown aims to shape the national dialogue on the occasion of the four hundred-year anniversary observance in 2007 of the founding of the Jamestown colony.

 

All contents copyright © 1996, North Carolina Folklore Society