Missouri Folk Arts Program

Nov. 9, 2026

Tribute: Gladys Caines Coggswell

We are sad to share the news that Dr. Gladys Caines Coggswell, a longtime friend and participant in Missouri Folk Arts projects, died at home in Hannibal on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Her former apprentice and adopted daughter, Angela J. Williams, shared the news. We join Gladys’s families and friends in mourning the loss of such a dynamic woman and artist. In the Foreword to Stories from the Heart: Missouri’s African American Heritage, Missouri Folk Arts Director Lisa L. Higgins wrote: “A true griot, [Gladys] does not simply access a catalogue of stories for performances.

July 27, 2026

“I Hook Stories”

by Christina Edholm Christina Edholm is one of three artists featured in the Missouri Folk Arts Program 2026 exhibit “Folk Arts in Bloom,” a showcase of three hooked rugs by artists from three different regions bringing their knowledge and innovations to the tradition. In the exhibit case, her vibrant rug is visible in the lower right corner of the case. In her own words below, Edholm explains what drew her to the “Dawn’s Daisies” rug pattern during a workshop taught by Katie Hartner of Tyler, Tx. Read more and check out images of patterns she created grounded in her…

July 16, 2026

Tribute: Gordon McCann

News has spread and poignant tributes have been shared over the last two days. Gordon McCann has died (7.17.2026). For the last forty of his ninety-plus years, Gordon made the Ozarks and its traditions–especially the music–his passion project. He was widely respected and sought for expertise derived from his field collection and for his artistry as rhythm guitarist, especially in accompaniment to his late friend, fiddler Art Galbraith. Gordon’s renown reaches beyond the Ozarks. He was a living encyclopedia of Ozarks folklife and delivered that wisdom in publications, recordings, and archival collections, from stages, classrooms, and music…