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 […]
Boost your maker economy with a “Made in” day
Dorrigo in New South Wales, Australia, population 1100, created an entire event to support local makers. David from the Red Dirt Distillery told us about Made in Dorrigo Day, where everything offered for sale had to be made, grown or produced in their local 2453 postcode area. Back in 2014 when they started, David said, […]
How a ghost town made something from nothing with a folk festival
Craft entrepreneurship is a strategy for prosperity that works in every community, no matter how small, even if everything else is against you. Even if all you have is the dirt under your feet. This is the story of Avard, Oklahoma, a town that knows how to make something out of nothing. Often listed as […]
Culture is the intersection of people and place
Lots of small towns have a good handle on the importance of the arts. Some have arts councils and arts festivals, and most are starting to better value rural artists. What about the larger concept of culture? Culture is usually only mentioned around urban areas. Rural is almost thought of as the opposite of […]
