Virginia Humanities

2018 Richmond Folk Fest

Oct. 12-14

The Richmond Folk Festival features more than thirty performing groups on seven live music stages with continuous music and dance performances, along with children’s activities, a folk arts marketplace, regional and ethnic foods, and more. The FREE three-day festival is expected to be one of the largest events in Virginia, drawing visitors from across the […]

Indigenous Lunch – Symposium on Food Sovereignty

Virginia Humanities’ Food & Community project and Virginia Indian Programs are collaborating with the University of Virginia Sustainable Food Strategy Task Force on a two-day Bicentennial Symposium event, Our Evolving Food System: from Slavery to Sovereignty. This public, free symposium will take place at the University of Virginia (UVA) October 17-18 2018, featuring an Indigenous lunch sponsored […]

Explore the Art of Masquerade

at the 14th Annual Richmond Folk Festival

Charlottesville, VA— Virginia Humanities joins the Richmond Folk Festival in announcing the Virginia Folklife Area theme for the 2018 Richmond Folk Festival: “Masquerade.” When: The Richmond Folk Festival takes place Friday, October 12, beginning at 6:00 PM, through Sunday, October 14 at 6:00 PM. The Virginia Folklife Area will be open Saturday, October 13 and […]

Free Lunch Exploring Native Foodways

To Be Served at UVA Symposium on Food Sovereignty

Charlottesville, Va. – Virginia Humanities’ Food & Community project and Virginia Indian Programs are collaborating with the University of Virginia Sustainable Food Strategy Task Force on a two-day Bicentennial Symposium event, Our Evolving Food System: from Slavery to Sovereignty. This public, free symposium will take place at the University of Virginia (UVA) October 17-18 2018, featuring […]

Old Traditions/New Virginians Folklife Celebration

Explore the sights and sounds of the “New Old” traditions of migrants who have come to Virginia within the last 30 years. This Folklife Celebration features traditions as varied as Vietnamese đàn bầu music (a one-stringed instrument), the exquisitely colorful Guatemalan alfombra (sawdust carpet) and dance, Hindustani raga singing, a Bolivian tinku dance group, and […]

Eddie Bond Awarded Highest Honor Bestowed Upon Traditional Artists

The Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities is proud to announce that Eddie Bond, celebrated old-time fiddler from the small southwestern Virginia town of Fries, has been honored with the 2018 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship. The National Heritage Fellowship, awarded annually by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), highlights the […]

Frank Newsome CD Release

Featuring Jim Lauderdale | July 8, Charlottesville

Doors: 6:30pm, Show 7:00pm $18-$20 BUY TICKETS » Join our Virginia Folklife Program at the Front Porch in Charlottesville on Sunday, July 8 to celebrate the re-release of National Heritage Fellow Reverend Frank Newsome’s album Gone Away with a Friend on Free Dirt Records. Renowned Americana musician and songwriter Jim Lauderdale, co-producer of Gone Away with aFriend, will join Reverend Newsome […]

Frank Newsome’s Gone Away with a Friend

Rereleased by Free Dirt Records, Produced by Virginia Folkife Program

The Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities announces the rerelease of National Heritage Fellow Reverend Frank Newsome’s album Gone Away with a Friend on Free Dirt Records on June 29, 2018. Virginia State Folklorist Jon Lohman and renowned country artist Jim Lauderdale recorded the album ten years ago in one summer evening in the tiny […]

Watermelon Park Fest

Our Virginia Folklife Program will once again partner with Shepherds Ford Productions as a supporter of the Watermelon Park Festival. Watermelon Park was the site of the nation’s first bluegrass festival in 1960. After years of hiatus, the festival was revived more than ten years ago and features some of the finest in bluegrass and beyond. […]