Maple Sweet Vermont
To mark the 2022 sugaring season we asked Vermont folk singer and musician Arthur Davis of Brattleboro, VT to share a rendition of the classic Vermont folk song, Maple Sweet.
Founder Jane Beck Reflects on Andy’s 20 years at the Folklife Center
This year marks Associate Director and Archivist Andy Kolovos' 20th anniversary at the Folklife Center. We asked Jane Beck, the VFC’s Founder and Director from 1984 to 2007, to reflect on Andy’s time with the organization.
Did You Know? - “If the Shoe Fits”
The VFC Archives is full of amazing first-person accounts of everyday life in Vermont and New England–past and present. In this feature, we'll share these stories with you.
We begin with master shoemaker Dan Freeman of Middlebury and apprentice Anne Callahan who worked together beginning in 2004. Freeman’s shop, Dan Freeman’s Leatherwork, has been a Middlebury staple for decades.
Drawing Turner Family Stories: An Interview with Marek Bennett
Turner Family Stories is a recent publication from VFC that brings together cartoonists and oral history to share the family stories and personal experiences of Daisy Turner of Grafton, Vermont with new audiences. Contributing cartoonist Marek Bennett spoke to us adapting Alec Turner’s extraordinary journey from Virginia to Vermont and how his life complicates how Civil War history is told and presented.
Franco-American Culture From the Outside: Identity and Education In Reflection
Last fall, the Vermont Folklife Center launched a limited term engagement with five educators with music and intercultural teaching expertise to develop approaches for integrating Franco-American music for K–12 in classroom learning and across content areas. Emma Auer, VFC Fall 2021 intern who participated in these meetings that concluded in early December, offers her perspective on this experience as shaped by her own educational journey in New England.
Drawing Turner Family Stories: An Interview with Francis Bordeleau
Turner Family Stories is a recent publication from VFC that brings together cartoonists and oral history to share the family stories and personal experiences of Daisy Turner of Grafton, Vermont with new audiences. Contributing cartoonist Francis Bordeleau’s comic, “I am Vindicated” retells a story of heartbreak and betrayal that culminated in Daisy bringing Boinay to court for breach of promise--and winning.
Reflections 10 Years after Irene from Mendon, Vermont
On July 14, 2021, twelve residents of Mendon, Vermont gathered to discuss the lasting impact of Tropical Storm Irene, which is approaching its 10 year commemoration. As the Vermont Folklife Center's summer intern, and University of Vermont student, I helped facilitate a group conversation called a story circle. The opportunity to look at the impact of Irene as a story circle observer allowed me to witness the importance of community and helping out your neighbors.
Drawing Turner Family Stories: An Interview with Ezra Veitch
Turner Family Stories is a forthcoming publication from VFC that brings together cartoonists and oral history to share the family stories and personal experiences of Daisy Turner of Grafton, Vermont with new audiences. Contributing cartoonist Ezra Veitch was raised in Grafton, Vermont, and was familiar with Daisy Turner from childhood. Ezra shared how he incorporated this rare vantage point to create a framing narrative that linked together the six chapters of Turner Family Stories.
From the Archives - Dans l'temps des sucres
For the past nine months we have been working with French-Canadian music specialist (and renowned fiddler!) Lisa Ornstein on a project to enrich the documentation of one of the collections of Franco-American song in our archive, the Martha Pellerin Collection. Over this time Lisa has steadily worked her way through a series of recordings created by Martha with Alberta Gagné of Highgate, VT in 1995, researching each of Mme. Gagné’s songs in detail so we can add this new information to our online archive.
Drawing Turner Family Stories: An Interview with Lillie Harris
Turner Family Stories is a forthcoming publication from VFC that brings together cartoonists and oral history to share the family stories and personal experiences of Daisy Turner of Grafton, Vermont with new audiences. Contributing cartoonist Lillie Harris reflected on their experience working with oral history transcripts as a basis for the story’s text, what it was like to create a comic with historical accuracy as a primary consideration, and capturing the essence of Daisy Turner’s character.
Maple Sweet Vermont
To mark the 2021 sugaring season we asked Vermont folk singer and apprentice in the current cohort of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, Maeve Fairfax to share a rendition of the classic Vermont folk song, Maple Sweet.
Donated collection sees new life in VPR radio program
The Vermont Folklife Center archive holds over 6,000 audio recordings of interviews with Vermonters. Many have been conducted by VFC staff, but the Center also accepts materials donated by others who have conducted ethnographic and oral history research in Vermont and the surrounding region. This is the first in a series of posts that explores the archive through projects donated by outside researchers.
Listening in Place: Winter Lights
As we slog through the lingering darkness and await the return of the light, it is no surprise that cultures across the world have long filled this period of the year with festivals, feasting, dance, song and bonfires that emphasize, above almost anything else, the persistence of light. Join us for Listening in Place: Winter Lights, a series of short audio shorts that explore what it means to share light during the darkest time of the year.
Sound Education - "Listening in Place" in Schools
VFC Education staff is bringing Listening in Place into the classroom. Learn how educators at Hazen Union School in Hardwick, VT are drawing on the tools of audio production and community interviewing as they adapt to teaching and learning in 2020.
Maple Sweet Vermont
To mark the 2020 sugaring season we asked legendary Vermont folk singer Pete Sutherland to share a rendition of the classic Vermont folk song, Maple Sweet.
VFC’s Collection to Reach National Audience
This month Jane Beck Folklife Fellow, archivist Susan Creighton provides an overview of the next phase of the National Folklore Archive Initiative, a project funded by the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Traditional Arts Apprenticeships
In this month’s From the Archives post, Jane Beck Folklife Fellow Susan Creighton looks at the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program collection.
LGBTQ+ Experiences
This month Jane Beck Folklife Fellow, archivist Susan Creighton highlights several collections about LGBTQ experiences in Vermont, as part of June’s Pride Month celebrations.