Main Street districts employ almost as many people as Amazon Hannah White, Interim President and CEO of Main Street America, dropped this little statistic at the Main Street Now National Conference in Boston in 2023. Designated Main Street Districts in the US include over 1.1 million jobs, almost as many people as Amazon. Amazon’s approximately […]I attended the Folklife in the South Conference in Lake Guntersville, Alabama in June 2023. It was a gathering of community leaders, folklorists, traditional artists, educators, documentarians, and other cultural workers. We came together to hear the stories of work in the field, explore different avenues of folklife in the South and to meet and mingle with like minded people. The three days were full of opportunities, presentations, stunning views, and the arts. I took notes at the sessions I attended and will attempt to recap for you now. Alabama Textile Traditions This panel of women spoke to Alabama’s long history of women working within both the formal and informal economies to provide for their families through sewing. Fiber arts have long been a source of creativity, a declaration of self-determination, and a cornerstone of care. photo from Recycled Runway 2023 Bib and Tucker Sew op https://bibandtuckersewop.org/ This business is unique not only in teaching the fiber arts, but being advocates for the industry and women. Recycled Runway is a program for Birmingham Middle and High School students. Their fashion show was in April, all items made from repurposed materials. The March Quilts began in 2015 to commemorate the march from Selma to Montgomery marches. They decided to repeat it each year. Members choose a civil or human rights theme and facilitate open sewing sessions and discussion. Viola Ratcliff, program manager, 205-386-0575 viola@bibandtuckersewop.org Black Belt Treasures Arts and Culture https://www.blackbelttreasures.com/ This is a nonprofit business in Camden, AL. They began in order to stimulate the economy with heritage arts and culture. They represent over 450 different artists. One of the things I loved to see was the rehabilitation of an old car dealership where they now hold their classes. It’s a fabulous idea. There are many empty car dealerships in small towns, this is a great way to use the space. Loretta Bennet https://www.facebook.com/lorettapbennett/ Loretta is an artist who said, “I was quilting before I was born.” She’s one of the quilters of Gee’s Bend. The quilts of Gee’s Bend are internationally renowned hand-made quilts made by a group of women and their ancestors who have lived in the isolated African-American community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The residents of Gee’s Bend are direct descendants of enslaved people who worked the cotton plantations of Joseph Gee established in 1816. The quilting tradition in Gee’s Bend goes back beyond the 19th century and some of the quilts have been exhibited at many notable museums. Loretta shared that she is a participant in Vacation with An Artist Program. (www.vawaa.com) You can spend a week with her and sister and they teach the old methods. She shared they do quite a bit of work using old clothes from deceased people to make quilts in remembrance. Takeaways from the panel: Art, hands on textile art, is important to tourism, there are bus tours from all over the world that come for quilt tours. Creation of this art and turning it into economic development benefits from the Idea Friendly Method. Storytelling is done in many different methods. Quilting is one of those. There are barn quilts with tours in the Midwest, quilt shops that created an entire town in Missouri and it started from a youtube site that simply gave instruction. Creating, quilting, is a good way to bring people together around a common theme. What else can be accomplished at these gatherings? Small steps for work as a textile artist: Find fabric Donated clothing and fabric Work with the culture arts center Sell on Etsy Work together Packing/shipping together Funds from vacation with an artist Discuss your prices for handmade items: Labor Time Materials Love Remember, it’s art. Price accordingly! Foodways in Alabama Sponsored by the Southern Foodways Alliance, this panel features Sarah Rodriguez, Southern Foodways Alliance’s lead oral historian, in conversation with three women who teach, preserve, and document diverse and changing foodways in Alabama. Southern Foodways Alliance A major theme at this conference was the importance of telling the stories of folklife in the South. Southern Foodways Alliance is capturing the stories. They are exploring the oral traditions and finding ways we are sharing our food stories. Visit their website, Southernfoodways.org and check out the videos. Jai Williams, Southern Foodways Alliance Jai specializes in culinary, travel, and cultural photography and was recently named as a Nathalie Dupree Fellow for the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA.) She’s studying Black land ownership and cultural foodways throughout the South as well as documenting Mississippi’s rich history through visual media. Again, the theme of telling the stories arises. Another way to do that is through photography. Contact: Jaithephotog.com @iamjaithephotog Lauren Murphy, seed saver, Hillfolk Pharmacy Lauren is a young farmer and a seed saver. She realized while raising her special needs son that there had to be a better way to feed him. Food is medicine after all. She noticed that the seeds she had from the past were not as badly affected by the drought. gut-healing herbalist, soil-steward and traditional foods enthusiast trained in Southern Folk Medicine by Phyllis Light at the Appalachian Center for Natural Health, and in Sociology from Florida State University. Lauren is a natural teacher and storyteller. You can listen to her on this Native Habitat Podcast session. Hillfolkfarmacy.com (and Instagram account) Lauren Richards, Albertville High School Culinary Arts Program Lauren shared about how her culinary school kids discussed traditions in food, then created fusion meals. They didn’t know that the old rules say you can’t do that. It’s exciting to see what our youth are creating while using the old traditions. Just another way to tell a story! https://www.facebook.com/ahsculinarydepartment/ Takeaways from the panel: Food is medicine. Food is another avenue to storytelling. ‘If we don’t eat, we don’t meat’ rings true. Food allows us to be daring, to try new (and old) things. Food is a safe place to gather, and to learn our stories. A quick thank you and good bye to Bill Mansfield Bill Mansfield, NEA leader National Endowment for the Arts is retiring. He told us he welcomes calls now through end of July for touching base and answering questions. They gave out 28.8 million in 1,231 grants last year, many to Native Arts and culture. Bill said no one is perfect but keep trying. “I don’t master the work; I master the tools.”. One of the stories he shared was how Charleston, WV triangle district was wiped out by highways. It was once the center of black music and culture. In 1974 the area was demolished. Thousands were forced to move, because of underlying racism. Sadly, this is not a singular story. Black Wall Street in Tulsa was the site of a massacre, white on black, and they rebuilt. Then the highways were placed into that area and Black Wall Street was gone. San Francisco neighborhoods in the 1960’s were seized with imminent
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