Brent Björkman

Director of the Kentucky Folklife Program

Phone Number: (270) 745-6261

Email Address: brent.bjorkman@wku.edu

Brent Bjorkman is Director of the Kentucky Folklife Program and Kentucky Museum. Throughout his career, Björkman has worked on many diverse projects throughout the US. As Folklife Specialist for the KFP (1999-2004) Björkman produced exhibits, folklife festivals/narrative stage events, and created web content based on his fieldwork that highlighted the lives and traditions of the state’s diverse populations. Under his leadership as Executive Director of the Vermont Folklife Center (2007-2012), the organization developed its Vision and Voice Documentary Workspace, a multi-media community exhibit space dedicated to both teaching the ethnographic process and presenting fieldwork by local communities as diverse as Bosnian immigrants, racetrack workers, and musicians. In addition to his leadership roles at the KFP and Kentucky Museum, Björkman led the creation of two Kentucky-based exhibits, Standing the Test of Time: Kentucky’s White Oak Basket Tradition (2015) and A Culture Carried: Bosnians in Bowling Green (2018) based on folklife research. Currently he is leading a combined team of KFP and Kentucky Museum colleagues, along with community members, to create Sonic Landscape, an exhibit dedicated to sharing and celebrating the musical legacy of Southcentral Kentucky. This exhibit, based heavily on the oral narratives collected by the KFP team and other folklorists and Folk Studies MA students, will be unveiled in Spring 2025.

Camille Maria Acosta

Folklife Specialist for the Kentucky Folklife Program

Phone Number: (270) 745-4133

Email Address: camille.acosta@wku.edu

Camille Maria Acosta is a Folklorist and Chicana Performance Activist originally from the border town of El Paso, Texas. She pursued Performance Studies with a BA in Theatre from El Paso Community College and Western Kentucky University before completing her MA in Folk Studies from the same institution. Within this program, she truly delved into the world of Chicanx/Mexican-American folk art research, legend telling communication, foodways exploration, as well as aiming to include more Hispanic diversity in the world of folk studies and performance studies in general. Upon graduating in 2021, she has gone on to pursue folklore and cultural studies work with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress as well as the New Mexico Arts Folk Arts Program. In 2023, Acosta launched her podcast Floaties for Krakens, delving into the world of the other and exploring how being monstrous is synonymous with a powerful resilience. Acosta has helped facilitate a number of programs under the KFP including moderating narrative stages for the White Oak Basket Gathering, organizing a Hispanic Heritage Celebration (“Tejido por la Historia; Sobrevivido de Corazón”) and spearheading the very first KFP Community Ofrenda during Día de los Muertos. Along with Björkman, she facilitates the funds for the Kentucky Folklife Network and is the main force in planning the workshops. She oversees all KFP operations.

Other Forms of Contact

Email: kyfolklife@wku.edu

Mailing Address:
237 Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center
Potter College of Arts and Letters
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd. #61029
Bowling Green, KY 42101-102

Location:
Kentucky Folklife Program is located at the Pioneer Log Cabin on Western Kentucky University campus. Visit the link for directions and information on parking.

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