THE SOUTH GEORGIA FOLKLIFE PROJECT AT
SELECTIONS FROM GRANT FINAL REPORTS, 1998-2005
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS FOLK
OVERVIEW
The South
Georgia Folklife Project (SGFP) is a pioneering collaboration between Valdosta
State University (VSU) College of the Arts
and the Georgia Folklife Program (GFP) to provide long-term and
systematic support, documentation, and
interpretation of traditional arts within a 41-county service area which
stretches from the
The
traditional culture of south Georgia has been the subject of several previous
documentation efforts; however, prior to the establishment of the South Georgia
Folklife Project, no professional folklorist had had an institutional base in
south Georgia for nearly two decades, leaving a large, artistically rich region
without the infrastructure necessary for effective technical support of
artists, utilization of field documentation, traditional arts advocacy, and
public presentation. NEA funding has enabled the SGFP to establish the
groundwork for effective grass-roots collaborations and programming in the
region.
1)
Conduct
folklife field research in the service area
2)
Develop
a data base and resource center on
3) Serve as a regional information
source on traditional arts, artists, and organization
4) Network with local educational,
arts, and cultural organizations to increase awareness and appreciation of
traditional culture
5) Provide training and technical
assistance on documentation, teaching, and presentation of regional folklife
6) Reach new audiences and underserved
constituencies within VSU service area
7) Serve as
8) Disseminate research findings
through specific projects which meet the SGFP mission, such as exhibitions,
media programs, educational materials, workshops, concerts
9) Seek outside funding in support of
project objectives
10) Provide students with academic
courses and fieldwork opportunities involving traditional arts and folklife
NEA GRANT 98-5500-3109
Primary
project activities included grant writing, field documentation, networking to
introduce the SGFP to the local constituency, preliminary development of a
needs assessment, university teaching, public presentations, and workshops, and
technical assistance to local traditional artists and cultural
organizations. A crucial part of
publication and audience development was additional distribution of the
Wiregrass Ways 13-part radio series to two Florida NPR stations, reaching
33,000 people (initial distribution to Georgia and parts of Alabama took place
prior to the the NEA grant period).
Crucial to the needs assessment was the successful application to the
Georgia Humanities Council to fund nine workshops on the topic of “Exploring
Community Heritage.” These workshops
helped to introduce the SGFP to key cultural workers in the region and better
familiarize the project director with traditional arts activities and artists
in the region. These workshops reached
many of the key players in
In FY-98-99
the project director addressed NEA Goal #3 (preservation of cultural traditions)
by 1) conducting folklore field research covering 23 counties and 2) directing
a graduate student independent study project on culture and community in the
student’s home town of Jakin (Early County). This combined work produced 50
field tapes, 500 photogrpahic images, and
supporting field notes and vertical file material. For the time being these original materials
are in the possession of the project director; however, discussion is underway
with VSU Odum Library Special Collections staff about plans to house the SGFP
materials after completion of the new library addition.
A special
field survey initiative has been the Okefenokee Traditional Music Survey which documents
a distinctive folk region as the first step in a multi-phase cultural
conservation strategy. Principal artists identified were Sacred Harp singers
David I. Lee, Clarke Lee, Johnny Lee and participants in monthly sings; elder
Tollie Lee and members of the Big Creek and New Hope churches for Primitive
Baptist hymnody; Judy Drury, Roxie Crawford, Bernice Roddenberry for Okefenokee
historic and contemporary music traditions.
Traditional artists have been provided copies of field tapes and photos
upon request.
Grants:
Raised
$24,822 in FY 98-99 using NEA funds as match; these funds supported a needs
assessment and community workshops, fieldwork in the Okefenokee as a basis for
a future exhibition, and field equipment purchase
Regional
Outreach and Programs:
15
regional heritage presentations and workshops serving 260 people from 15 counties with a grant from the Georgia
Humanities Council entitled “Exploring
Community Heritage”
Field
recordings at community events with mention made of SGFP and VSU, reaching an
additional 2000 persons
Networking with over 75
community organizations and educators in the region
Distribution
of the 13-part
Coverage
of activities in a dozen regional newspapers
Technical
assistance to over 50 individuals, organizations, and artists
Consultant
to Valdosta Symphony’s 10th anniversary commission to composer James Oliverio
for a new work based on south Georgia traditional music
Consultant
and researcher, The Last Harvest, photo exhibit of
Project
Director, The Florida Music Train, multicultural curriculum unit prepared for
the Florida Heritage Education series
University
Teaching and Public Lectures:
Reached
over 275 faculty and students on topics which involved traditional arts
Independent
study project by English MA candidate Gretchen Geisinger, “On Solomon’s
Porch: Culture and Community in Jakin”
reached an audience of 75 in three
public presentations and resulted in original field materials being deposited
in the Museum and Library of her hometown (Jakin,
Selected
Comments about the
I have been
remiss in not telling you how fascinating your radio programs are. We have enjoyed them a great deal. Thank you for making the programs and thank
you for sharing them with us. Lee Bradley,
Dr.
Sommers has encouraged and supported our efforts to re-introduce this tradition
of singing sacred harp to our local school children, to our local college, to
local folklife and historical societies, and to the local community at
large. She has offered advice and
instruction in the methods of such an effort.
While I have the fervent desire to protect and nourish our old
tradition, I have leaned heavily on Dr. Sommers for the expertise to accomplish
it. She has guided me and others among us with her knowledge of folklore and
with her dedication to these important tasks. David I. Lee,
Wonderful
evening. Thank you so much. The plans to document the last year of
turpentining would be benefit enough from such an evening—but I know there will
be more projects to come from you. I’m looking forward to all of them…Christine
Tibbits, May 1999,
Thank you
so much for allowing the
I was
inspired by the many options and suggestions adaptable to local projects. Gwen
Adams,
The program
was excellent and fueled my desire to document cultural traditions, both at the
It has been my privilege to live in the
Thank
you so much for presenting at the Heritage Education Workshop for teachers
during the week of June 21-25. Your presentation on
SOUTH GEORGIA FOLKLIFE
PROJECT, 1999-2000
NEA GRANT 99-5500-3093
During the
1999-2000 grant year, the South Georgia Folklife Project continued to support traditional
arts and artists in the 41-county VSU service area in rural
Perhaps the
most successful activity of the past year in terms of public education and
building infrastructure at VSU and in the local community was the series of activities
for South Georgia Heritage Month in February 2000. The events were well attended, had good local
press coverage, and generated many positive comments. A highly visible event in the SGFP’s host
community (as opposed to elsewhere in the service area) has been crucial for stabilization
of the project and attracted a cross-section of the community. Heritage Month
was a collaboration between the SGFP, African American Studies at VSU, and the
Valdosta Symphony Orchestra with funding from the Symphony, various university
units, and the Georgia Humanities Council.
Major components included the following:
1)
Five
fiddler workshops throughout the month of February with 125 S. Georgia String
Project students, featuring
2) "Know From Whence Ye Came:
Preserving African American Traditions," part of the 2000 African American
Studies Lecture Series, featuring the presentation of the ring shout by the
McIntosh County Shouters and introductory remarks by Dr. Laurie Sommers,
Continuing Education Building Auditorium, Thursday, February 3, 7 p.m.
(audience of circa 150; program repeated for a local elementary school)
3) South Georgia Heritage: Tunes and Traditions, a special concert
featuring fiddling by Henry Rutland with
guitarist Paul Massey, sacred harp singing from Hoboken, Georgia, ring shouts
by the McIntosh County Shouters, Friday, February 4, First United Methodist
Church, Downtown Valdosta, 7 p.m.
Sponsored by the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra (audience of circa 300)
4)
Field
survey included completion of phase one of the Okefenokee Traditional Music
Survey (funded in part by the Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest community Folklife
Program with NEA match). This project
generated several programs and cultural conservation strategies: 1) a Library
of Congress Local Legacies project on Southeast Georgia Sacred Harp with David
I. Lee of Hoboken; 2) the previously mentioned exhibition application done at
the request of local Sacred Harp singers; and 3) consultation on an
Okefenokee/South Georgia component for the Florida Folk Festival in White
Springs (May 26-28, 2000) with its special theme of “Traditional Wetlands
Culture.” The festival reached an
audience of 20,000 and featured the New Taylor Singers (African American
gospel) from Blackshear, fiddler Henry Rutland and guitarist Paul Massey from
Thomas County, 50 members of the Hoboken Sacred Harp singing community who sang
in memory of their late song leader Silas Lee, the Roddenberry family of
Folkston demonstrating Sacred Harp, gospel and palmetto brooms, and walking
sticks and tupelo gum bread trays by Ronnie Dale Lee of Waycross. Notable accomplishments in technical
assistance include working with the Bainbridge Arts Council on a grant for a
Dia de los Muertos altar and Mexican Fiesta in the local schools and community
(funded and forthcoming); facilitating a successful Traditional Arts
Apprenticeship application for Waycross tatter Myrtie Highsmith and three
apprentices, and assisting the Hoboken Sacred Harp community with their
cultural conservation and documentation efforts.
The SGFP
presented on Folklife and Writing Across the Curriculum a the South Georgia Writing
Project (VSU) 2000 Summer Institute, initiating an exciting new collaboration
in folklore and education. Fifteen educators
from Thomas, Tift, Lowndes, Cook, and
Information
about
Anecdotal Information/Human
Interest
I attended
last Friday night’s Tunes and Traditions concert. It was a wonderful
experience. Although none of the traditions presented were mine, each one of
them touched me deeply. I think there is
something in each of us that responds to the shapes and tones of the traditional
music, no mater what the particular tradition….I am continually astounded with
your ability to find the real roots of South Georgia Folklife. You are doing an excellent job and are to
commended for it. (Sarah Bartholomew,
It (lecture/performance
of the McIntosh County Shouters) was the perfect program: I learned something
and I was entertained as well. The Shouters
are a wonderful group. Thanks for your
efforts in bringing them here (Sheri Gravett,
Just want to
remind you once again how much we appreciated the fellowship and singing at
What a
wonderful gift you brought us in Mr. Zorn, the Fiddler! While his fiddling was fantastic, hearing Mr.
Zorn speak was a real education and inspiration. The violin students were inspired, by by
sheer coincidence the fifth grade students were in the midst of a study of
family heritage, and all of his tales fit perfectly with what they were
studying (Sue Miller, Lower School Dean, Valwood School, 2-15-00).
SOUTH GEORGIA FOLKLIFE
PROJECT 2000-2002
NEA GRANT
#00-5500-3039
The South
Georgia Folklife Project (SGFP) plays a
key infrastructure role in
1) Conduct folklife field research in
the service area and develop a data base and resource center on
2) Serve as a regional information
source on traditional arts, artists, and organizations; network with local
educational, arts, and cultural organizations to increase awareness and
appreciation of traditional culture.
During this grant period the SGFP worked with over 300
3)
Reach
new audiences and underserved constituencies.
The SGFP allows both VSU and the Georgia Council for the Arts to
maintain an active presence in a rural region of the state that would otherwise
have little or no traditional arts programming.
Programming, technical assistance, and fieldwork during the grant period
reached approximately 11,850 constituents in 20 of the 41 counties of the service
area. (These figures do not include web site users.) See 5) below for
discussion of specific programs. SGFP programs and fieldwork during the funding
cycle highlighted the traditional arts of African American, Latino, Cherokee,
Asian, and working class southern white tradition bearers throughout
4)
Seek
outside funding in support of project objectives. During the grant period, the SGFP raised or
spent $46,500 in additional cash awards (plus match) to fund the research and
development of two exhibits, related programming, and a major folklife in
education initiative.
5)
Disseminate
research findings through specific projects which meet the SGFP mission, such
as exhibitions, media programs, educational materials, workshops, and concerts.
Major initiatives included the following:
The Folklife of the Georgia Wiregrass traveling exhibition
which has currently toured to seven South Georgia communities, with opening
receptions featuring local traditional musicians; an NEA Access grant is
funding a lightweight duplicate of this exhibit so that it can reach small
rural communities which lack formal exhibit spaces. The exhibit consists of
photo/text panels which interpret the traditional agricultural, religious,
and community arts of the Wiregrass
region of South Georgia (1920s-present), highlighting local customs such as
cane grinding, tobacco auctions, foodways, quilting, gospel music and singing
conventions, traditional watercraft, and hunting.
Let Us Sing:
Folkwriting: Lessons on Place, Heritage, and Tradition for
Georgia Educators (with Diane Howard of the VSU English Dept. and educators
from Cook County Schools), a workbook
funded by the Georgia Humanities Council designed to enhance writing skills
across levels and connect students with their community traditions by using
folklife as the subject matter. Student work was presented to the community in
January 2002 at a gala
Collaboration on conferences and concerts, including the VSU
English Department’s Georgia Humanities Council-funded mini-conference
“Understanding Place,” held in October 2000, and the VSU African American
Studies 2001 Lecture Series which featured a performance by the Freedom Singers
of Albany, Georgia.
6)
Provide
VSU students with academic courses and fieldwork opportunities involving
traditional arts and folklife. During
the grant period the SGFP director revised her Multicultural America class,
taught an independent study on Introduction to Ethnomusicology which resulted
in a fieldwork project on a local Latino dance hall, taught Beyond the Melting
Pot for Learning in Retirement, and developed a new course at the request of
the Music Department, World Music Cultures.
Artists: David Lee and Southeast Georgia Sacred Harp Singing
Community: video and audio documentation as part of requested technical
assistance and a future planned video documentary; completion of the Let Us
Sing exhibition at community’s request (co-curated by David Lee). Artists featured
at special events: Henry Rutland,
fiddle, and Paul Massey, guitar,
Major Partnering Organizations: Cook County Schools was the major partner in
designing and piloting the Folkwriting folklife in education project;
Okefenokee Heritage Center, Waycross, host for the Folklife of the Georgia Wiregrass exhibit, and partner in the Let Us
Sing exhibit, the first permanent exhibit on local traditional arts and now a
model for future new exhibits; Bryant-Lang Historical Library, Woodbine;
workshops on community documentation and oral interviews; Bainbridge Arts Council: technical assistance on Georgia Folklife
Program grants for a Día de los Muertos
Ofrenda (Nov. 2000), and the Bainbridge Suckerfish Festival (Jan. 2002); Three
Rivers Regional Library System, Brunswick and vicinity: public programs on folklife; Fitzgerald-Ben
Hill Arts Council, Fitzgerald; Lowndes County Historical Society, Valdosta;
Crisp Area Arts Alliance, Cordele; Museum of Southern Cultures/Swamp Gravy,
Colquitt, Jimmy Carter Birthplace National Historic Site, Plains: host sites for the Folklife of the Georgia
Wiregrass exhibit; Southern Arts Federation: traditional arts advisory board;
Florida Folklife Program: Music of the Sunshine State radio series and the
Florida Music curriculum unit consultant;
panelist for Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants.
Impact
A folklorist based in
Through support of a folklore specialist,
VSU is able to include traditional arts within its mission of regional arts
outreach and applied research. It currently the only public institution in the
state with a full-time public folklorist and ethnomusicologist devoted to regional culture and
traditional arts. No other program in the
College of the Arts has conducted activities in 20 counties in the service
area. These accomplishments have
positioned VSU as a state and regional leader in traditional arts and folklife.
Financial impact of the SGFP on VSU has been substantial: the SGFP brought
$95,750 in outside grants, matched by
$27, 500 in non-VSU outside match.
In FY 02, the SGFP accounted for 58% of outside grants to the College of
the Arts.
“I am struck by how
amazing this all is. Thanks to you we now have a beautiful display in the
cultural center for
“Laurie introduced Mama to the GCA Traditional Arts
Apprenticeship Program while providing technical assistance to artists in the
region. My mother has since taught three
years of tatting to apprentices including my sister and I, who are certified
teachers now. My sister has taught her
daughter and several of her neighbors and friends. We love it. As the new museum Coordinator of
Programming and Exhibits at the
“Because I am a life-long resident of
SOUTH
GEORGIA FOLKLIFE PROJECT, 2002-2003
NEA GRANT
02-5500-3087
1) Conduct folklife field research in
the service area and develop a data base and resource center on
2) Serve as a regional information
source on traditional arts, artists, and organizations; network with local
educational, arts, and cultural organizations to increase awareness and
appreciation of traditional culture.
During this grant period the SGFP worked with over 300
3)
Reach
new audiences and underserved constituencies.
Programming, technical assistance, and fieldwork during the grant period
reached approximately 29,800 constituents in 15 of the 41 counties of the
service area. (These figures do not include web site users.) SGFP programs and
fieldwork during the funding cycle highlighted the traditional arts of underserved
African American, Latino, and working class southern white tradition bearers
throughout
4)
Disseminate
research findings through specific projects which meet the SGFP mission, such
as exhibitions, media programs, educational materials, workshops, and concerts.
Major initiatives included the following (major partner organizations are
underlined):
Folklife of Wiregrass Georgia
Traveling Exhibition:
continued its touring schedule, visiting 7 South Georgia locations and working
with the following partner organizations: The Jimmy Carter Birthplace NHS
Visitors Center, Plains, June 1 to November 30, 2002; Valdosta State
University Fine Arts Building, January 6 to 23, 2003, Valdosta; Homerville
Municipal Complex (City of Homerville and Huxford Genealogical Society),
February 3 to March 3, 2003; Roddenberry Memorial Library, Cairo, March 5 to April 20, 2003; Georgia Southwestern State University,
Americus, April 21 to May 9, 2003; Southwest Georgia Regional Library,
Bainbridge, May 9 to June 25, 2003; Bryant Lang Historical Library,
Woodbine, July 1 to August 29, 2003,
with opening receptions featuring local traditional musicians. The exhibit
consists of photo/text panels which interpret the traditional agricultural,
religious, and community arts of the
Wiregrass region of South Georgia (1920s-present), highlighting local customs
such as cane grinding, tobacco auctions, foodways, quilting, gospel music and
singing conventions, traditional watercraft, and hunting. It is continuing to
tour the region.
Folkwriting: Lessons on Place,
Heritage, and Tradition for Georgia Educators (with Diane Howard of the VSU English Dept.
and educators from Cook County Schools),
a workbook funded by the Georgia Humanities Council designed to enhance
writing skills across levels and connect students with their community
traditions by using folklife as the subject matter. This project was used at
The Last Harvest traveling exhibit
and programs for Hispanic Heritage Month featured a series of public programs to increase awareness
of the traditions of Mexican-origin farmworkers in
Collaboration on conferences and
concerts, including
the VSU African American Studies 2003 Lecture Series which featured a
performance by the Georgia Sea Island Singers on the VSU campus and for 500 K-3rd
graders at Lomax-Pinevale Elementary in Valdosta.
5)
Provide
VSU students with academic courses and fieldwork opportunities involving
traditional arts and folklife. During
the grant period the SGFP director, taught an independent study on African
American Religious Music Traditions (Spring, 2003) which resulted in a
fieldwork project on black 7-shape singing traditions in Randolph County, and
taught two sections of World Music Cultures for the Music Department.
David Lee and Southeast Georgia Sacred Harp Singing
Community: video and audio documentation as part of requested technical
assistance and a future planned video documentary. Artists featured at Folklife
of Wiregrass Georgia opening receptions:
Henry Rutland, fiddle, and Paul Massey, guitar, Thomasville; Jerry
Murkerson Bluegrass Band, Bainbridge;
South Georgia Grass, Thomas and Grady Counties;
Gayle Grimsley of Colquitt,
(African American lined hymns); Freedom Singers of Albany, African American
gospel and political songs. Other
special events: Georgia Sea Island
Singers, Brunswick (featured in performance
at the African American Studies Lecture Series and at Lomax- Pinevale
Elementary, Valdosta, sponsored by SGFP),
Los Bandits (Tex Mex music), Kalamazoo, MI (Hispanic Heritage Month
program).
Impact: Through support of a folklore specialist, VSU is able
to include traditional arts within its mission of regional arts outreach and
applied research. It currently the only public institution in the state with a
full-time public folklorist and ethnomusicologist devoted to regional
culture and traditional arts. The Folklife of the Georgia Wiregrass exhibit
was provided at little to no cost to host organizations. It is the only such
exhibit touring the region and has been an important tool in increasing
understanding of traditional arts of the Wiregrass region. The Folkwriting project and workbook is the
first comprehensive folklife and education project geared to
Anecdotal Information or “Human Interest” Stories About the
Project
“Being a
public library in a small rural community carries an added responsibility of
providing quality cultural enrichment for the residents. Thank you for helping
us achieve that goal by making this outstanding collection of photographs
available to the people of southwest
SOUTH GEORGIA FOLKLIFE
PROJECT 2003-2005
1) What activities did the grant
support and what did the project accomplish?
The South
Georgia Folklife Project (for the period
Since VSU
ceased support of the SGFP as of
2) Were you able to carry out approved
project activities? If not, please
explain.
For the
most part, approved project activities were carried out. However,
beginning in September 2004, VSU made the decision not to continue its
support for the project. This meant that
efforts became focused on wrapping up existing projects and networking with VSU
Archives to ensure the long-term preservation and access of the SGFP
collection. Technical assistance and
outreach activities were accordingly curtailed.
Since
3) Who were the key artists and
partnering organizations, and what was the nature of their involvement?
4) Beyond the project’s direct
accomplishments, what was the impact on—or benefit to—your organization, your
discipline/field, and/or community?
The SGFP
impacted