Commonwealth Speakers:Folk and Traditional Arts


House with six-bed garden drawing by Susanna Heebner, 1818. From Candace Perry's presentation, The Fabric of Daily Life: Pennsylvania German Textile Traditions. Image courtesy of Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center.

Folk art in Pennsylvania spans labor songs, textile traditions and much more. These presentations offer a taste of the rich and deep folk and traditional arts that find their home in the Commonwealth.

Folk Music Is Family Music
It may be difficult to find folk music on the radio, TV or in the nearest record store, but it still flourishes in family settings. For generations, people all over the world have used songs to instill values in their children, participate in their communal history and to cultivate a strong sense of identity. Participants will learn songs from Africa, Eastern Europe, Iraq and the United States to discover what they reflect about culture and how they make strong families. Folklorist Kelly Armor is a professional musician. She has collected children's songs in East Africa and from local refugee communities in Erie.

Kelly Armor, Erie
Folklorist & Education Director, Erie Art Museum

The Fabric of Daily Life: Pennsylvania German Textile Traditions
From the looms of professional male weavers to young girls taking their first tentative stitches on samplers, the traditions of making and using textiles provide a window into the everyday life of rural Pennsylvania Germans in the 18th and early 19th centuries. After a brief discussion of the Germanic background, Candace Perry will focus on specific aspects of Pennsylvania German textiles, using images and/or actual objects to illustrate. Themes include the role of the professional weaver in southeastern Pennsylvania, filling the dower chest and women's roles. This survey of 18th and 19th century textiles will extend from the most eminently practical household linens to sublime needlework, leaving the audience with insight into the function of this material culture in Pennsylvania German lives. A PowerPoint display will be used where possible, with actual examples and handouts otherwise.

Candace Kintzer Perry, Bally
Curator of Collections, Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center

The Music, Dance and Instruments of the Pennsylvania Germans
Through dance, songs and stories, participants will explore the traditions of Pennsylvania German music and dance. Dressed in authentic attire, Keith Brintzenhoff will begin with a brief history of these rich traditions. He'll also perform and explain the roles that the guitar, harmonica, mountain dulcimer, banjo and autoharp play in Pennsylvania German music. Participants will be taught hoedowning as well as the fancy footwork of jigging.

Keith Brintzenhoff, Kutztown
Folklorist & Musician

Caribbean Social Dances
This dance workshop will explore the origins, evolution, cultural roles and impact of social dance and music across the eastern Caribbean. Tania Isaac, named by Dance Magazine as one of "25 to watch in 2006," will give a brief history of the Caribbean region and dances such as the quadrille, masquerade/folk, soca/calypso, zouk and reggae. She will place each form in geographical, historical and social context as participants learn examples of each dance.

Tania Isaac, Philadelphia
Dancer & Choreographer

All Stories Are True and Some Have Actually Happened
As long as people talk to one another, the oral tradition will be tenacious and strong. Most stories from this tradition are not concerned with literal truth, but reflect greater truths about the human condition. Participants will hear a variety of folk tales, urban legends and family anecdotes. They also will have a chance to discuss the roles played by the stories, jokes and songs they've learned, and how they've been handed down from generation to generation. Folklorist Kelly Armor is a professional storyteller and musician. She finds that stories are one of the surest ways to engage audiences of different ages.

Kelly Armor, Erie
Folklorist & Education Director, Erie Art Museum

Ukrainian Immigration to the Coal Region of Northeastern Pennsylvania
Dressed in traditional costume, Paula Holoviak will discuss Ukrainian immigration to the anthracite coal regions in the late 19th and 20th centuries, and the impact of this migration on the history, culture and economy of Pennsylvania. The reasons for this first major wave of Ukrainian immigration will be explored as well as the cultural legacy of the early immigrants. The presentation includes a performance of Ukrainian folk songs—songs typical of those sung by early immigrants. A PowerPoint display with historical maps and pictures will accompany the program.

Paula Duda Holoviak, Sugarloaf
Folk Musician & Dancer. Associate Professor of Political Science, Kutztown University

The Rhythms and Rhymes of American Folk Music
Can you square dance while sitting down? Does the "Catfish" really have the blues? Where does the snow white cotton grow? And, just who is Awi Usdi? Ed McDade (vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica and rhythm instruments) will present an interactive, educational and entertaining program of songs, stories and family fun. You'll be treated to tales from the Appalachian and Native American traditions. You'll hear lots of great music like Froggie Went a Courtin', Oklahoma Hills, Oh! Susannah, Harriet Tubman, Freight Train, Cripple Creek and This Land is Your Land. You'll discover a full range of ideas and emotions that are part of our musical tradition and cultural heritage. The program will be presented in an interactive style. The audience actually becomes part of the program! For inter-generational audiences.

Ed McDade, Port Matilda
Musician

Heroes, Fools and What the Wise Ones Said!
Professional storyteller Vicky Town brings international folktales to life using movement, voice, chants and audience participation. Her infectious energy and enthusiasm will delight listeners as she creates a zany cast of characters. From the Blue Ridge Mountains of Galax, VA to the forests of Tionesta, PA to the inner city of Philadelphia—Town will share stories of heroes and s-heroes, monsters and mayhem, narrow escapes and loves, both true and false.

Vicky Town, Drexel Hill
Storyteller

Floral and Garden Imagery in Pennsylvania German Decorative Arts
Sometimes a flower is just a flower. Sometimes however, in the context of the arts of the Pennsylvania Germans, it can mean much more. After looking at the motif's Old World roots, Candace Perry will explore both sides of this vibrant imagery, which range from the purely decorative on blanket chests and redware, to the deeply meaningful on fraktur. Perry also will discuss how flower motifs used in pietistic German hymns that were popular in Pennsylvania sometimes were illustrated in fraktur, creating a dynamic expression of faith and spiritual love. These works of folk art convey a powerful statement about the heartfelt spiritual devotion of our Pennsylvania German Protestants and a reflection of the importance of Pennsylvania's position as the center of religious tolerance in the United States.

Candace Kintzer Perry, Bally
Curator of Collections, Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center

Family Storytelling: Bringing the Family Together Through Story
Every family is filled with stories. Some are dramatic: how Great Aunt Katherine saved the train while working at the telegraph, how Uncle Clyde survived the prisoner of war camp. Some are romantic: how Uncle Joe and Aunt Freda eloped on the night of the eclipse. They can be humorous: how little Cole was almost born in a field. They can be heroic: how Grandpa Webster single-handedly wiped out dog fighting in his home town. The value of stories is in how they give family members a sense of history, unity and belonging. Storyteller Jan Kinney will use personal stories to help audience members recognize their own stories. She'll also give participants the storytelling tools with which to tell them effectively.

Jan Kinney, Altoona
Storyteller

Born of Fire: Songs of Steel and Industry
Pittsburgh has been called "the city that built the modern world." The hardworking men and women of the region—from the railroads, barges, steel mills and coal mines—created a legacy of powerful work songs and anthems. When Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger rolled into Pittsburgh in 1941 to perform at a union rally, they described the city's skyline as an "awesome sight" ablaze with smoke and fire. Visual artists also have been inspired by Pittsburgh's industrial landscape. They created a body of work which has been preserved and presented by the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in its Born of Fire collection. This multimedia presentation includes historical songs performed by Paula Purnell, along with informative narrations and images of paintings, drawings and archival photographs from the Born of Fire collection.

Paula Purnell, Greensburg
Folk Musician & Educator

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