Jan. 23, 2024
Tribute to Fr. Moses Berry
We were sad to hear the news that Fr. Moses Berry of Ash Grove, Mo. died on January 12, 2024. Thanks to an introduction by independent scholar Jami Lewis of Mt. Vernon, we at Missouri Folk Arts and a cohort of community scholars were honored and enlightened upon visiting Fr. Berry in November 2012. The fieldtrip started at The Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum, which he founded and curated at 107 West Main Street in downtown Ash Grove. There, Fr. Berry shared stories about his ancestors and objects that belonged to their family or that represented their lives as enslaved, and…
Sep. 20, 2023
Tribute to Beverly Strohmeyer
Bev Strohmeyer speaks at a reception hosted by Mid-America Arts Alliance on October 23, 2014 in KCMO in anticipation of her 2015 retirement. Photo by Lisa L. Higgins Saturday, September 2, we woke to the news on Facebook that our friend and colleague Beverly Strohmeyer had suffered and survived a major cardiac event. Over the next two weeks, we followed the stories of her progress, her resilience, her setbacks, and her tenaciousness. Saturday, September 16, we woke to the news on Caring Bridge that Bev had died the previous evening. These last two weeks have been filled with posts on…
July 11, 2023
Tribute to Kim Lansford
In the midst of the celebrations of the Ozarks at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in D.C., we learned the sad news that Ozark musician Kim Lansford had died on Sunday, July 2, 2023. In anticipation of that day, our friend and former intern Sam Kendrick asked to write the tribute that appears below. Readers will understand why it was important for him and why we readily agreed. We share Sam’s tribute to Kim Lansford here and send love to all who miss and mourn her. Kim Lansford photo courtesy of Suzi Lindsay Vause A tribute to Kim Lansford (August…
April 18, 2023
Tribute to Bernard Allen
We’ve learned the sad news yesterday that master luthier Bernard Allen of Naylor, Mo. passed away Sunday, 4/16/2023. Missouri Folk Arts has been honored to work with Mr. Allen many times over the years, first when he apprenticed to Doc James E. Price in 1987 to learn traditional wood joinery. Their friendship started before and continued all these years. Master luthier Bernard Allen (Naylor) is pictured here in a 1991 photo by previous MFAP director Dana Everts-Boehm. Mr. Allen took his joinery skills and applied them to luthiery, crafting fiddles and mandolins. In 2006, he generously contributed his wisdom to…
March 9, 2021
Tribute to Vesta Johnson
We were very sad to hear the news on Friday, March 5, 2021, that master old-time fiddler Vesta Johnson had died. At the same time, we understand from her devoted family that she passed peacefully after recent struggles with cancer. We are of the belief that there never has been or will be anyone like Vesta. It is hard to know where to start with a tribute to Vesta, as we are so lucky that much of her life and her music has been documented for posterity. Certainly, there are files in Missouri Folk Arts’ collection at the State Historical…
Dec. 23, 2020
Tribute to Gary Johnston
Once again, we must share sad news. Early this week, we learned that previous Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program master fiddler Gary Johnston (Nevada, Mo.) has died. We are thankful, though, that Mr. Johnston’s friend and one-time apprentice Samuel Kendrick wrote the following tribute, which we share here in its entirety. We at Mo Folk Arts send our deepest condolences to Mr. Johnston’s family and all who knew him. A TRIBUTE TO GARY JOHNSTON (1937-2020) BY SAMUEL KENDRICK (Previous Mo Folk Arts Apprentice) Hey Y’all,…
Dec. 9, 2020
Tribute to Evelyn Pulliam
We at the Missouri Folk Arts were very sad to hear the news that previous Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program apprentice Evelyn Pulliam of Kennett, Mo. (1998 and 1999) recently passed away. We thank master storyteller, author, and community scholar Dr. Gladys Caines Coggswell for writing the following tribute to Mrs. Pulliam, which we’re sharing here in its entirety. by Dr. Gladys Caines Coggswell Too many folks have crossed over to the other side. This year, the death rate was exceptionally high in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It makes my heart heavy with…
Sep. 30, 2020
Tribute to Martin Bergin
We are saddened to learn that cowboy poet and master saddlemaker Martin J. Bergin, of Overland, Mo., passed away on September 24, 2020. His funeral services are scheduled for Thursday, October 1, 2020 with Ortmann’s Funeral Home in Overland (obituary link follows this tribute). Mr. Bergin was a longtime participant in projects of Missouri Folk Arts and its predecessors the Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts and the Missouri Cultural Heritage Center. Through Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts, Bergin often took to the stage or…
Sep. 12, 2020
Tribute to Sarah Blevins Denton
Sarah Ann Blevins Denton, 1956-2020 Sarah Denton (left) checks her camera in the kitchen while documenting canned goods put up by Patti (right) and Bernard Tappel during a 2015 fieldtrip to their home in Osage Bluff, Mo.. Photo by Lisa L. Higgins Two weeks ago, we were shocked and so sad to learn that our friend, Ozark regional community scholar Sarah Denton, died unexpectedly from a heart attack on her morning walk near her home in scenic Calico Rock, Arkansas. When we first met Sarah, she lived in West Plains, Missouri, the location…
Dec. 9, 2019
Tribute to Lois Jane Mueller
Master quilter Lois Mueller (left) explains a quilt to MFAP staff during a site visit. From the MFAP archives housed at the State Historical Society of Missouri. We at the Missouri Folk Arts Program are saddened to learn from Barry Bergey that master quilter Lois Mueller died on Wednesday, December 4, 2019. Formerly of St. Louis, the Muellers relocated to New Haven in the Missouri River Valley to establish their Röbller Vineyard in 1988, first vintage in 1990. She never stopped quilting. Mrs. Mueller was a master quilter in the…