Sep. 12, 2019
Tribute to Patricia S. Hight
It is our honor to pay tribute to Patricia S. “Pat” Hight, a recent apprentice in the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. We learned via her Facebook posts and a Caring Bridge online journal that over the last several months Pat sought treatment for cancer, then recently chose to enter hospice care, riding out her last days rocking on her porch and checking the late summer progress of her garden. She died yesterday at home. Master storyteller Marideth Sisco and apprentice Patricia Hight tell tales at the 2017 Backyard Concert Series in Jefferson City. Mo. Photo credit: Deborah A. Bailey Pat…
Sep. 10, 2019
Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts
Back in 1973, a group based mostly in St. Louis, Missouri came together formally after a few years of programming traditional arts events and documenting regional traditions to establish the non-profit Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts [not to be confused with the Missouri Folk Arts Program]. In September 2018, on Labor Day weekend, the Friends came together for a reunion at the Röbller Vineyard in New Haven, Missouri. They had so much fun at the inaugural event that they organized a…
Aug. 1, 2019
Folk Intern Sam Kendrick
We’re a bit sad to say farewell to our summer intern–Sam Kendrick of Vernon County, Mo. We’re also happy to know that he is heading back to do good work at Western Kentucky University’s Folk Studies and Anthropology and the Kentucky Folklife Program. Here’s Sam’s parting post with some advice and thoughts about music jams, the theater, and arts engagement. MFAP Summer Intern Sam Kendrick Hey guys! I hope every one is staying cool these days, or at least staying hydrated while…
July 23, 2019
Then & Now Apprentice Journeys
We invite everyone to visit our YouTube channel, where we are pleased to say, you will find edited videos from all eight Then and Now: Apprentice Journeys oral histories. Feel free to watch all eight via the playlist, or follow the links below for the most recent additions. Mo Folk Arts launched a new series in 2016, showcasing former apprentices in the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. These featured artists worked hard in…
July 1, 2019
Folk Intern Sam Kendrick
The Missouri Folk Arts Program is happy to welcome our summer intern–Sam Kendrick of Vernon County, Mo. During the academic year, Sam is a graduate student in Western Kentucky University’s Folk Studies and Anthropology program in Bowling Green, and he works as a graduate assistant for our colleagues at the Kentucky Folklife Program. As you’ll read below, though, Sam is a Missourian through and through. In addition to working for MFAP on content for the Show Me Folk blog and website, Sam is spending time…
June 13, 2019
2019 Apprenticeship Program, Alexander & Thompson
With this final 2019 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship team profile, we introduce you to blacksmith Robert (Bob) Alexander, a second-time TAAP master artist, and his new apprentice. This year, Alexander, of DeSoto, Mo., teamed up with Lisa Thompson, who lives about forty miles away in Ste. Genevieve. Like most of the blacksmiths who have participated in TAAP, Alexander and Thompson are both active members of the Blacksmith Association of Missouri (BAM!). Master blacksmith Bob Alexander watches as apprentice Lisa Thompson works. Photo by Deborah A. Bailey Bob Alexander…
May 29, 2019
2019 Apprenticeship Team, Dorairajan & Murugesan
We are excited to introduce you to master artist Smrita Dorairajan and her apprentice Charunetha Murugesan, first-time participants in Missouri’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Smrita Dorairajan and Charunetha Murugesan. Photo courtesy of Smrita Dorairajan Since November 2018, Dorairajan and Murugesan, both of Columbia, have been meeting regularly at the master dancer’s studio for the apprentice’s lessons in Bharatanatyam. Perhaps the biggest cultural lesson that we may learn from this Indian traditional art form is that dance often involves so much more than simply how one moves one’s feet. Like most traditional…
May 18, 2019
Tribute to Becky Walstrom
The storytelling community in Missouri and beyond grieves at the unexpected loss of Becky Walstrom earlier this week. We at the Missouri Folk Arts Program thank master storyteller, author, and community scholar Dr. Gladys Caines Coggswell for writing a tribute to Ms. Walstrom, which we’re sharing here in its entirety. Rebecca Sue (Hull) “Becky” Walstrom left a lasting impression on all of the lives that she touched. She was certainly one of Missouri’s invaluable treasures. She was born on April 6, 1948 in Eldon, Mo. and suddenly, shockingly left us on May 13, 2019 in…
May 13, 2019
KBIA 91.3: Traditional Arts Feature
KBIA report Seth Bodine visited MFAP staff, as well as Bharatanatyam TAAP team Smrita Dorairajan and her apprentice Charunetha Murugesan for this story about both the Indian dance tradition and the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Smrita Dorairajan practices Bharatanatyam dance movements with Charunetha Murugeson on Friday, May 3 in the basement of her home in Columbia. Credit Seth Bodine / KBIA…
May 10, 2019
2019 Apprenticeship Team, Kinder & Farrar
Meet Peggy Kinder and her 2019 apprentice Cindy Jarrar, enrolled members of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, who reside in Clay County, Missouri. Peggy Kinder and Cindy Jarrar display small applique beadworks at Folk Arts at the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Photo by Deborah A. Bailey Since 2011, Peggy Kinder has taught in the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program three times helping her apprentices to strengthen their skills and knowledge of applique ribbonwork, shawl fringe tying, and now applique beadwork. Each is a tradition that Kinder observed and began learning at…