Culture Through Comics: Lucy Wright

On October 17, 2018 as a part of the American Folklore Society Annual Meeting in Buffalo, Andy coordinated Culture Through Comics, a graphic ethnography and ethnographic cartooning workshop taught by cartoonist Marek Bennett.

As a part of the workshop, folklorist Lucy Wright began a comic about her fieldwork experiences researching traditional dance in the UK. When she returned home from the conference, Lucy wrapped up her story—and then very kindly agreed to let us share it here!

Here’s what Lucy has to say:

I drafted the very first page of this comic strip (very roughly!) during the 'Culture through Comics' workshop at the American Folklore Society Annual Meeting in Buffalo, NY. I’d not done any cartooning before, but I found the session wonderfully inspiring and absorbing, and promised myself that I would develop my story, provisionally titled ‘EthnoGraphics’, when I returned home to the UK. The aim was to reflect upon some of the trials, tribulations and (mis-)adventures of a novice folklorist, in particular, describing how I came to specialise in creative, ‘artistic research’ methodologies, as a PhD student, studying girls’ carnival morris dancing in the Northwest of England. I’ve opted for a classic, black-on-white drawing style, which I hope makes my comic striking and easy to reproduce, should I ever decide to make a full-length comic book! I’m feeling really excited about the whole process, and certainly intend to do more cartooning in the future!

“ethnographics” by lucy wright

Lucy Wright is an early career researcher from the UK, with interests in contemporary folklore and cultural participation. Her primary specialisms are folk music and dance, particularly girls’ carnival morris dancing, and the use of practice-led and participatory methods. She is currently based at the University of Leeds. You can find out more about her research and art practice at: www.artistic-researcher.co.uk