Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts to Launch Folklife Web Series

This month, Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts will debut a series of web presentations and lectures focusing on the folk art, traditions and folklife of Arkansas. Folklorist Jan Rosenberg will kick things off by presenting on gospel music and folklife education in southern Arkansas from 3-4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 21, on Zoom. Registration is required. The series will continue through October 2022, with events occurring on the third Thursday of each month. All sessions are free and open to the public. Recordings of the presentations will be hosted on the Libraries' YouTube channel. 

Upcoming presentations will focus on topics ranging from beekeeping to astrology and feature information from and about Arkansas folk artists, tradition-bearers, folklorists and authors.

"In my time spent speaking with many different people who either work with or as tradition-bearers in Arkansas, many people asked if there would be a way to share their knowledge, folk art and traditions with a larger audience," said Lauren Willette, series organizer and staff member for Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts. "Facilitating an online platform created a way for me to feature and reach people from all over the state of Arkansas."    

Rosenberg has been involved in Folklife Education since 1980, using fieldwork and school ethnography to develop and present curriculum. She is a founding member of the Folklore and Education Section of the American Folklore Society. As folklife coordinator for the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council between 1990 and 1996, she conducted extensive fieldwork in 12 southwest Arkansas counties and worked with residents to create programs highlighting the traditional cultures of the region. It was through this work that she was exposed to a deep affinity for Southern, country and African American gospel song traditions. She has particular interest in the use of folklife in the early Progressive Education movement.  

"In addition to programming, I continue research in the historical nature of folklore and education and have published on these connections," Rosenberg said. "The missions of education and folklore are strikingly similar, with the major distinction between the two being in the forms of transmission. In education, the school is the source for learning, whereas in folklife it is the family and community. Yet in each there is an importance attached to personal knowledge, knowing about and knowing. Teachers have been using folklore in their lessons forever. The fields of folklore and education, in my opinion, need to continually press this point forward." 

All sessions of the 2022 Arkansas Folklife Web Series will be held from 3-4:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. 

• May 19: Folk Art presentations by current master artists in the Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts' Apprenticeship Program: Pat Bergman, metalsmith; Sage Holland, glassblower and beadmaker; and Allison Williams, musician. 

• June 16: James and Vera White will share the history, stories and songs from Elaine, Arkansas, with regard to the Elaine Massacre of 1919. 

• July 21: Maria Christina Moroles and Lauri Umansky will present their upcoming memoir on Moroles' life and her work as founder and maintainer of Santuario Arco Iris.  

• Aug. 18: Astrologer Maureen Richmond will provide an overview of the historical origins of astrological practice. 

• Sept. 15: Beekeeper Justin Lowe will present on the basics of beekeeping and his work at Rural Route Farms.  

• Oct. 20: Folklorist Rachel Reynolds will discuss holiday food traditions in the Ozarks and offer tips for preparing a classic holiday dish.  

Questions about the 2022 Arkansas Folklife Web Series may be directed to Lauren Willette at willette@uark.edu.  

Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is a statewide program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to building cross-cultural understanding by documenting, presenting and sustaining Arkansas' living traditional arts and cultural heritage.