Mary Wesley 6/4/20 Mary Wesley 6/4/20

Black Lives Matter

The Vermont Folklife Center is in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the fight for racial justice. We urge Vermonters to reflect on the ways in which systemic racism and oppression operate in our society. Thank you for listening, learning and supporting anti-oppression efforts in our communities.

Andy Kolovos 3/25/20 Andy Kolovos 3/25/20

Maple Sweet Vermont

To mark the 2020 sugaring season we asked legendary Vermont folk singer Pete Sutherland to share a rendition of the classic Vermont folk song, Maple Sweet.

Mary Wesley 3/9/20 Mary Wesley 3/9/20

Education Reflections: Discovering Community in Brandon

We hear from another participant at the VFC’s 2019 Discovering Community Summer Institute for Educators, held in St. Johnsbury. Educator Dave Praamsma of Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon came away from the program inspired to launch a “Vermont Folklife Digital Storytelling Project” in his 8th grade classroom. Here Dave reflects on the importance of student voice in project-based learning.

Andy Kolovos 2/14/20 Andy Kolovos 2/14/20

Brattleboro Farm Stories

A wintry Sunday afternoon in Brattleboro. Seven local farmers invited to talk—surrounded by an exhibit of beautiful black-and-white photographs by Richard W. Brown titled The Last of the Hill Farms: Echoes of Vermont’s Past.

Susan Creighton 12/20/19 Susan Creighton 12/20/19

VFC’s Collection to Reach National Audience

This month Jane Beck Folklife Fellow, archivist Susan Creighton provides an overview of the next phase of the National Folklore Archive Initiative, a project funded by the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Mary Wesley 12/18/19 Mary Wesley 12/18/19

Hogwarts comes to 88 3/4 Main Street!

Check out photos from the VFC’s 21st Annual Gingerbread House Competition and Exhibit! This year’s theme was “Christmas at Hogwarts Castle.”

Trisha Denton 11/18/19 Trisha Denton 11/18/19

Education Reflections: Discovering Community in Proctor

At this year’s Discovering Community Summer Institute for Educators, the Discovering Community team were fortunate to be joined by Proctor High School educator Linda McCuen. In this post, Linda reflects on the implementation of her collaborative ethnography project and what her students learned in asking their community “What does it mean to be an American?”

Mary Wesley 10/23/19 Mary Wesley 10/23/19

Brattleboro Bonanza!

Attention southern Vermont friends! This fall and winter the Vermont Folklife Center is bringing events and workshops to ‘the one-and-only’ Brattleboro. We are YOUR Folklife Center and we’re committed to bringing our work closer to you by sharing exhibits and films with statewide partners, holding workshops and presentations, and connecting with you in your own home towns. Check out the event listings here!

Trisha Denton 9/23/19 Trisha Denton 9/23/19

A "Very Vermont" Summer Institute!

This year’s Discovering Community Summer Institute for Educators was held at The Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury. Faculty included Discovering Community educators Trish Denton and Mary Wesley, VFC’s Archivist Andy Kolovos, and visiting scholar West Virginia State Folklorist Emily Hilliard. With the support of a handful of key community members, we were able to weave together a wonderful, place-based program to discover the unique community that is St. Johnsbury today.

Andy Kolovos 9/7/19 Andy Kolovos 9/7/19

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.

Mary Wesley 6/27/19 Mary Wesley 6/27/19

Now Accepting Applications - Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program

The Vermont Folklife Center is now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. For over twenty-five years this program has supported master artists in the teaching and passing along of their knowledge and artistry.

Susan Creighton 6/25/19 Susan Creighton 6/25/19

LGBTQ+ Experiences

This month Jane Beck Folklife Fellow, archivist Susan Creighton highlights several collections about LGBTQ experiences in Vermont, as part of June’s Pride Month celebrations.

Andy Kolovos 6/19/19 Andy Kolovos 6/19/19

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.

Andy Kolovos 5/28/19 Andy Kolovos 5/28/19

Remembering Martha

This month Jane Beck Folklife Fellow, archivist Susan Creighton discusses the Martha Pellerin Collection of Franco-American Song, as well as other Franco-American song materials in our archives.

Andy Kolovos 4/17/19 Andy Kolovos 4/17/19

Out on the Ice

This month we are excited to present the first in a series of monthly blog posts from our Jane Beck Folklife Fellow, archivist Susan Creighton . Between April and December Susan will share insights into her work and interesting things she comes across in the collection. As winter gradually transitions to spring, and inspired by our current on-site exhibit, Ice Shanties: Fishing, People & Culture, this month Susan shares some archival bits related to ice fishing and other winter activities on our frozen lakes.

Andy Kolovos 3/5/19 Andy Kolovos 3/5/19

Maple Sweet

To mark the 2019 sugaring season we asked legendary English folk singer (and Brattleboro resident) Tony Barrand and his apprentice, Amanda Witman to share a rendition of the classic Vermont folk song, the Vermont Sugar-Maker's Song, also known as Maple Sweet.