Ian Drury Hired as Young Tradition Vermont Director
he Vermont Folklife Board and Staff are thrilled to announce the appointment of Ian Drury as full-time Director of Young Tradition Vermont at Vermont Folklife. Drury will succeed Mark Sustic, founder and long-time director of Young Tradition Vermont (YTV), formerly a stand-alone nonprofit that joined forces with Vermont Folklife in July, 2022.
Remembering Pete Sutherland
Legendary Vermont musician Pete Sutherland died on November 30, 2022. In the wake of his passing, tributes and remembrances from his vast, nationwide community of musical collaborators, students, mentees, and fans, abound. We share just two, of the many, here.
Afghan Summer Arts Camp
VFC was thrilled to support a one-of-a-kind summer camp in Brattleboro, conceived and led by a group of five Afghan artists who have been making waves across southern Vermont since resettling in the area early this year. Abdullah, Marwa, Meetra, Negina, and Zuhra are all part of ArtLords, a global Afghan-led movement using art for peace building and social transformation. With support from Vermont Afterschool, VFC underwrote three traditional-arts based youth summer programs, including this camp in Brattleboro.
Announcing the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program 2022/23 Cohort
The Vermont Folklife Center is pleased to announce the cohort of mentor and student artists comprising the 31st cycle of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP)! Twelve mentorships will be supported this coming year. With funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Arts Council, the Center initiated the program in 1992 to support the continued vitality of Vermont's living cultural heritage.
Did You Know? - Mediha Jusufagic
Meet VTAAP master artist Mediha Jusufagic. Born and raised in Bosnia, Mediha came to the United States in 2000, joining several thousand other Bosnian refugees who settled in Vermont between 1993 and 2005. As a young woman in Yugoslavia, Mediha performed internationally as a member of a traditional dance troupe. Here in Vermont she formed the dance group the Bosnian Lilies to support the vitality of traditional music and dance among Bosnians in their newly adopted country.
Did You Know? - Pete Sutherland & Emmett Stowell
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. This month, meet legendary Vermont musician Pete Sutherland and apprentice Emmett Stowell, and listen along as the two discuss their work together—and their friendship.
Images from Sansari Puja 2022
On Saturday, May 14th, VFC staff joined the Burlington Nepali Rai and Limbu Community for Sansari Puja—a springtime festival celebrating Mother Earth. The community gathered and were joined by friends and neighbors from around Burlington to connect, eat, make music and dance.
Did You Know? - “Jeanne Brink: Basket Maker”
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.
This month meet Abenaki basket maker Jeanne Brink. Jeanne is someone with the distinction of having been both an apprentice in the early years of the Vermont Traditional Art Apprenticeship Program and later a mentor artist, coming full circle to pass on the knowledge, skills and traditions that she learned.
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.
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.
Celebrating 30 Years of Innovation in Tradition!
During 2022 the VFC is celebrating 30 years of Innovation in Tradition by looking back on how its Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP) has both sustained and advanced traditional arts in Vermont over the last three decades. Our staff is currently working hard to create an exciting year of programming to showcase the many amazing artists who have come through the program. Learn more here!
Announcing the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program 2021/22 Cohort
The Vermont Folklife Center is pleased to announce the cohort of master artists and students comprising the 29th year of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP). Thirteen projects will be supported this year. With support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Arts Council, the Center initiated the program in 1992 to support the continued vitality of Vermont's living cultural heritage. More than 365 apprenticeships have been supported since 1992. Read about the 13 successful applicants of the 2020 - 2022 program cycle here.
Applications Now Open for 2021-2022 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program
The Vermont Folklife Center is pleased to announce the 29th year of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP). With funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Center initiated the program in 1992 to support the continued vitality of Vermont's living cultural heritage. In partnership with the Vermont Arts Council, VTAAP provides stipends of up to $2,000 to master artist and apprentice pairs to cover time, materials, and travel expenses. 2021 applications from master artist and apprentice pairs will be accepted through September 3rd.
Traditional Arts Spotlight: Pete Sutherland and Emmett Stowell - "The Old Boom Chuck"
Master artist Pete Sutherland is working with his 10-year-old apprentice Emmett Stowell to bestow the art of what Pete calls the “old boom chuck,” aka New England contra dance piano accompaniment. This Traditional Arts Spotlight features text and audio excerpts from two virtual “site visits” with Pete and Emmett recorded via Zoom last spring and this winter. A site visit offers a chance for artists and apprentices to reflect on and make a record of their work together as well as a chance to build and maintain a relationship with VFC staff (this has felt particularly important during the pandemic).
Traditional Arts Spotlight: Migmar Tsering, Teaching Music During Covid
We asked master artist and musician Migmar Tsering to tell us how he was staying connected to his students during the pandemic. Migmar has lived in Vermont since 2011. He was born in Tibet and was brought up in India. In Vermont he is active as a singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and traditional Tibetan dance instructor. In this post, Migmar describes his Covid era challenges and adaptations in his music class.
Announcing the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program 2020/21 Cohort
The Vermont Folklife Center is pleased to announce the cohort of master artists and students comprising the 28th year of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP). Thirteen projects around the state will be supported this year.
Vermont Traditional Artists - Staying Connected During Covid
As summer arrives the 2019-2020 cycle of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP) is winding down. We share some highlights from our pre- and post-Covid field visits with artists around the state.
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.
Traditional Arts Apprenticeshp Program Comics
As a part of our Vermont Cartooning and Culture Project, cartoonist Iona Fox visited with three participants in the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program and created a series comics about them.