~ Current Projects & Events 2023-2024 ~

“I appreciate The Kentucky Folklife Program because they keep our culture breathing by telling our stories. They give a voice to those who have lived history and who whisper, “tell them we were here.” And they give voice to those who are making history today, shouting, “Tell them we are still here!” Thanks, KFP, for helping our culture stay relevant and alive!”

_{Emily Hudson, Founder & Executive Director of the Southeast Kentucky African-American Museum & Cultural Center; 2024}

What is the Kentucky Folklife Program up to These Days?

Word Carver & Traditional Folk Artist Willie Rascoe receiving a Kentucky Governor’s Acclamation Award by the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentukcky Folklife Program; October 2023. Pictured from Left to Right: Chris Cathers, Dr. Erika Brady, Brent Björkman, Andee Rudloff, & Camille Maria Acosta.

The Short Answer is…..ALOT!

Beginning as part of the Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) and Kentucky Historical Society, KFP fulfills its mission in innovative ways, including establishing folklorist residencies in schools; conducting regional documentation projects; creating traveling exhibits; leading teacher training; and producing the statewide Kentucky Folklife Festival (1997-2007). In 2012, Western Kentucky University (WKU)’s Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology became KFP’s new home. New collaborations and leadership strengthened the program, drawing on the expertise of its director, Brent Björkman, who acted as a Folklife Specialist at KFP from 1999-2004. Björkman now splits his time as director of both KFP and the Kentucky Museum, while Folklife Specialist Camille Maria Acosta is KFP’s only dedicated full-time employee. Documenting, Presenting, and Conserving the diverse voices of Kentucky communities is what the KFP prides itself in. Each year, the KFP crafts programming events that amplify the traditions, narratives, and experiences of the Kentucky commonwealth in ways that highlight cultural visibility. Every event organized/aided by the KFP aims to increase inclusion and accessibility by helping underserved communities share their traditions and paving ways in which the public can broaden their knowledge.

Here is a List of Current Projects & Events for the 2023-2024 Year!

In Descending Order from Present (2024) to Past (2023)

Sonic Music Legacy Exhibit Creation ~ Spring 2025: Born from an Oral History Project and a passion for musicians in the area, The Kentucky Museum in association with the Kentucky Folklife Program announces the addition of the “Sonic Landscape” exhibition which will celebrate the area’s rich musical heritage. The organizations received a $75,000 grant from the Bowling Green Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) which will support the multiyear exhibition celebrating Southcentral Kentucky’s musical traditions and legacies. Learn More Here!

*_{KFP Director Brent Björkman & WKU Folk Studies Grad Ciara Bernal conduct an Oral History interview with musician and wood-worker Mark Whitley; Summer of 2023}*

Community Scholars Program ~ Spring & Summer 2024: The Community Scholars Program is a free educational outreach program of the Kentucky Folklife Program at Western Kentucky University. Working with a local partner, the program introduces participants to the techniques of documenting, interpreting and presenting their unique local cultural resources and traditional art forms, whether through exhibits, festivals, blogs, etc. Equipment for oral interviews is available for loan for the duration of the program. The program consist of five sessions on alternate Saturdays from 1:00-4:00 PM beginning April 13 with a final sixth session on June 29. Three sessions will be in person in Hazard; three sessions will be virtual. Learn More Here!

*_{Community Scholars Graduates Bugz and Aaron Banther listen to a lecture during the 2023 Community Scholars Pilot Program; Spring of 2023.}*

Spring Jam Sessions ~ Spring 2024: Facilitated by the incomparable Jordan Riehm and Dr. Erika Brady, and hosted by the Kentucky Folklife Program, Log Cabin Jams are a fun musical experience for members of the community. One Sunday of every month, bluegrass musicians are invited to join us at the Pioneer Log Cabin on Western Kentucky University’s campus to play together, sing together, and all in all celebrate bluegrass musicality at its finest. Learn More Here!

*_{A Log Cabin Jam Session ensues with musicians and artists from across the Kentucky Commonwealth; November of 2023}*

Kentucky Folklife Digital Magazine Spring Issue Premiere ~ February 2024: On Monday, February 26th, at 5:30 pm the Kentucky Folklife Program (KFP), in the WKU Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology, hosted an online premiere of the Spring 2024 issue of its digital magazine, Kentucky Folklife. This eighth issue highlights a variety of work exploring folklore and ethnographic projects centering on the African-American experiences in Kentucky. Editor-in-Chief Delainey Bowers, along with Kentucky Folklife Program Director Brent Björkman and Folklife Specialist Camille Maria Acosta, facilitated a virtual conversation with the contributors and artists about the process behind the Spring 2024 issue on Zoom from 5:30 pm CST to 7:00 pm CST. Learn More Here!

*_{A collage of Kentucky Folklife crafted by the Editor-in-Chief of the Kentucky Folklife Digital Magazine Delainey Bowers; 2020}*

Hispanic Heritage Celebration -“Tejido por la Historia; Sobrevivido de Corazón ~ Woven by Story; Survived by Heart” – October 2023: The Kentucky Folklife Program in partnership with the International Communities Liaison Program and the WKU Folk Studies & Anthropology Department, hosted a Hispanic Heritage Celebration titled, “Tejido por la Historia; Sobrevivido de Corazón ~ Woven by Story; Survived by Heart”, a project highlighting the fighting spirit of WKU and Bowling Green’s Hispanic Community. Learn More Here!

_{KFP Folklife Specialist Camille Maria Acosta facilitates a narrative stage with International Communities Liaison Leyda Becker and Department Head of Modern Languages Dr. Alexander Poole; October of 2023}

Día de los Muertos Public Ofrenda 2023: The Kentucky Folklife Program in partnership with WKU Folk Studies & Anthropology Department will host an interactive public ofrenda to celebrate Día de los Muertos and the vibrant Hispanic communities of Bowling Green, Kentucky. On Friday October 6th, 2023 at the WKU Pioneer Log Cabin, the public witnessed, participated in, and paid respects to our community Día de los Muertos altar hosted by KFP Folklife Specialist Camille Maria Acosta, WKU Folk Studies graduate student Ciara Bernal, and Guest Artist from El Paso, Texas Bella Diaz from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm central time. Learn More Here!

*_{A Día de los Muertos pajarito is illuminated by candles and wax-warmers gracing the public ofrenda crafted by the community of Bowling Green, Kentucky; October and November of 2023.}*

Willie Rascoe Day ~ October 2023: The Kentucky Folklife Program in partnership with the WKU Folk Studies & Anthropology Department and the Kentucky Arts Council, hosted folk artist Willie Rascoe, Kentucky Woodcarver crafting artwork that weaves spirt and heart together into one. On Thursday, October 5th, 2023, Willie Rascoe hosted a free artist demonstration and audience talks, both open to the public at the WKU Pioneer Log Cabin from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm central time. Learn More Here!

*_{Famed folk artist and wood-carver Willie Rascoe smiles when discussing his impressive array of work; Summer 2023}*

Horse Cave Heritage Festival – “Heart to Hart” Oral History Project ~ September 2023: During the Horse Cave Heritage Festival in September of 2023, The Kentucky Folklife Program partnered with the WKU Folk Studies & Anthropology Department to produce an interactive booth in which festival goers would be able to document their story about a topic that means a lot to both them and to the Horse Cave/Hart County Communities.

*_{WKU Folk Studies Oral History students pose after a job well-done during the Horse Cave Heritage Festival “Heart to Hart” project; September of 2023}*

Larry & Joe Cultural Enhancement Series ~ August & September 2023: The Kentucky Folklife Program in partnership with the Potter College of Arts & Letters Cultural Enhancement Series and South Arts, will host the musical duo Larry & Joe, musicians and storytellers crafting a Venezuelan/Appalachian melodic fusion. Larry & Joe, currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, is the duo of Joropo maestro and Llanera legend Larry Bellorín (Monagas, Venezuela) and GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and oldtime star Joe Troop (Winston-Salem, North Carolina). Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds in the pandemic. Larry works construction to make ends meet. Joe’s acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, and he shifted into action working with asylum seeking migrants. Both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. Learn More Here!

*_{Larry & Joe weave music and community with their free public workshop held at Western Kentucky University for eager musicians; August 2023}*

White Oak Basket Gathering Workshop – “Reaching Beyond Tradition” ~ August 2023: For generations of community-based traditional artists throughout the Southeastern US, and more pointedly, in and around Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave area, basketmaking has been a way of life. Fueled initially by necessity, the basket’s journey and its significance within the community has evolved over time from its early utilitarian use to become a heralded object of art. Through Reaching Beyond Tradition, our public audience will experience the evolution of the time-honored tradition through topical narrative stage presentations that will bring this dynamic and evolving story to life. Throughout the day’s program, attendees with discover the maker’s painstaking hands-on process, what it takes to make a basket, but also learn the historical antecedents of how the evolving marketplace, from family production within the home to the basket stands catering to travelers along the Dixie Highway (31W) affected and expanded individual innovation within a revered framework of community ideals. Learn More Here!