THE FOLKLIFE PROGRAM OF THE MARYLAND STATE ARTS COUNCIL
2013
SATURDAY, JUNE 15 BALTIMORE
MARYLAND TRADITIONS FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL
A MESSAGE FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY Dear Friends: Welcome to the 3rd annual Maryland Traditions Folklife Festival. Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, has been working across the state with communities to support and celebrate living traditions for 12 years through fieldwork, partnerships, grants, research and public programs. Today, we come together to highlight the rich cultural traditions that are practiced and expressed from the Chesapeake to Appalachia. Folklife is the embodiment of community wisdom, which relies on the dedication of key individuals to maintain its vibrancy and relevance. Our musicians, dancers and culinary and material artists are invigorating folk and traditional arts by handing them down to the next generation through word of mouth or example. We are fortunate to experience their arts firsthand through their performances and demonstrations. Please join me in celebrating outstanding individuals who are passing on the living traditions that make Maryland’s communities distinct and bridge our pasts to a promising future. Sincerely,
Governor
About the Maryland State Arts Council The Maryland State Arts Council, an agency of the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development, Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, is dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. The mission of the council is to encourage and invest in the advancement of the arts for the people of Maryland. Maryland Traditions is a collaborative statewide folklife partnership program of the Maryland State Arts Council with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to create a lasting infrastructure for the documentation, promotion and celebration of traditional culture in Maryland. Creative Alliance at the Patterson provides support to artists and advocates for cultural expression rooted in a sense of place. Wide ranging programs are found within the walls of this former movie theater, including local film, modern dance, neo-burlesque, puppetry, hip hop, improv comedy, experimental and traditional music. Today’s festival is produced in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, the NCTA is a private, not-for-profit corporation, dedicated to the presentation and documentation of traditional arts in the United States. Founded in 1933, it is the nation’s oldest producing and presenting organization with such a focus. O N COV E R : “M A RY L A N D T R A D I T I O N S” H A N D - E N G R AV E D I N P E W T E R BY WAY N E W E R N E R FO R T H E C U L M I N AT I N G P R O J E C T O F H I S A P P R E N T I C E S H I P T O M A S T E R E N G R AV E R R O S E D U K E .
WHAT IS FOLKLIFE? WHAT IS MARYLAND TRADITIONS? YO U M AY B E A S K I N G YO U R S E LF “ W H AT A R E M A RY L A N D T R A D I T I O N S? ” TO DAY W E PR E S E N T YO U W I T H A G LI M P S E O F T H AT A N S W E R . You may also be asking “what is Maryland Traditions?” To which we’ll tell you that Maryland Traditions is the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council. We’re a team of folklorists, spread across the state, working together to document, celebrate, and sustain traditional arts and culture through regionally-based partnerships at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (U P P E R S H O R E) , Frostburg State University (M O U N TA I N M A RY L A N D) , the National Council for the Traditional Arts (M E T R O D C A N D S TAT E W I D E) , University of Maryland Baltimore County (M E T R O B A LT I M O R E A N D S TAT E W I D E) , and the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art (LO W E R S H O R E) . We are also a network of individuals and communities, practitioners and professionals, artists and presenters with a common goal: passing on traditional knowledge from one generation to the next. I N D E E D, FO L K A N D T R A D I T I O N A L A R T S A R E H A N D E D D OW N FR O M
E . JAY H E N D R I C K S O N , MASTER BLADESMITH
G E N E R AT I O N TO G E N E R AT I O N T H R O U G H WO R D O F M O U T H O R E X A M PLE .
They may be verbal, musical, or visual, occupational or religious. They may be indigenous or have found a welcoming home in Maryland. You will find some of each of these at today’s festival. Taken together, these forms of expressive traditional culture – or what we call folklife – endow Maryland with a distinctive sense of place. True, folklife provides identity to communities, but it also serves as the vehicle by which communities gather to link past and future. These are living traditions – not living history. They are dynamic and ever-changing, however slowly that may seem, and always growing to encompass newcomers or reacting to new circumstances. The practitioners you meet today are masters in their own right, but they are also celebrated representatives of their communities. All of us gather today to learn from one another, to share questions, beliefs and memories to pass on to another generation. Enjoy the festival! Clifford R. Murphy, PhD D I R E C TO R , M A RY L A N D T R A D I T I O N S
MARYLAND TRADITIONS APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS
A N I L A K U M A R I (B O T T O M) A N D M R I N A L I N I P I L L A I ( T O P)
Nearly all of the participants in today’s festival have been recognized through the M A RY L A N D T R A D I T I O N S A PPR E N T I C E S H I P AWA R D , given annually since 2004 to master traditional artists to pass their skills on to the next generation. This year’s recipients are:
Festival Participants • East Avenue Stage Cambodian-American Heritage – Khmer Classical Court Dance (P R I N C E G E O R G E ’S The Cambodian-American Heritage dance group is directed by Sam-Ouen Tes and features her apprentice, Bonavy Chhim. Madame Tes was born in Phnom Phen and was a royal palace dancer. When traditional artists’ lives were threatened by the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979), Madame Tes became a leading member of the resettled Cambodian refugee community in the DC region. She received the National Heritage Fellowship in 1998 with the Apsara Ensemble. Master Chum Ngek, who received the National Heritage Fellowship in 2004, directs the music. CO U N T Y )
THE CAMBODIAN BUDDHIST SOCIETY
The Carroll County Ramblers – Bluegrass
T H E C A R R O L L CO U N T Y R A M B L E R S
CAMBODIAN-AM
GE E R I C A N H E R I TA
(C A R R O L L CO U N T Y ) The Carroll County Ramblers were founded in Taneytown in 1961 by Dottie and Leroy Eyler and performed for decades in Frederick, Hagerstown, and Baltimore’s rowdier bars. Dottie and Leroy mentored successive generations of Bluegrass musicians, including their daughter, Bonnie, and son, Dale, who lead the group today. The Carroll County Ramblers received the 2012 Maryland Traditions ALTA Award.
M A S T E R
A PPR E N T I C E T R A D I T I O N
Richard Baskwill Rose Duke E. Jay Hendrickson Amadou Kouyate Anila Kumari Eddie Rich Warren Saunders L. Hedgecock Smith Sam-Oeun Tes A. Michael Vlahovich
Bradley Martin Wayne Werner Shawn Hendrickson Jumoke Ajanku Mrinalini Pillai Leroy “Linky” Miller Roger Webster Mike Higdon Bonavy Chhim John Rafter
Welsh Choral Music Hand Engraving (Silver) Bladesmithing – Damascus Steel Manding Kora Kuchipudi Classical Dance Doo-wop/R&B Harmony Singing Decoy Carving Clock Making Khmer Classical Court Dance Skipjack Restoration
Drum Call: The Pulse of Africa – Featuring Baile McKnight (P R I N C E G E O R G E ’S CO U N T Y )
D R U M C A L L – F E AT U R I N G BAILE MCKNIGHT
Drum Call presents “The Pulse of Africa” through drumming, dancing, and Chakaba (“spirit walkers”) rooted in West African folklore. The group is led by Baba Baile McKnight, an elder and an institution in Maryland’s African drum and dance community. A drummer and drum-maker, Baile has studied with master drummers in Africa. He is a three-time Apprenticeship Award recipient.
Lafayette Gilchrist & The New Volcanoes – Jazz (B A LT I M O R E C I T Y ) Born in DC, Lafayette
L A FAY E T T E G I LC H R I S T & T H E N E W VO LC A N O E S
Gilchrist soaked up the sounds of Go-Go before teaching himself to play piano as a student at UMBC. Gilchrist sought out Baltimore’s jazz giants in local clubs, including saxophonist Carl Grubbs who learned at the knee of John Coltrane. Lafayette has been a master and an apprentice in the Maryland Traditions program – apprenticing to Grubbs in 2008, and mentoring Ethan Simon in 2010.
Shane Carpenter
Amadou Kouyate – Manding orchestra
A M A D O U KO U YAT E
(B A LT I M O R E C I T Y ) Amadou Kouyate is a 150th generation Diali, or griot of Senegalese heritage. He is the son of the late famed kora player Djimo Kouyate (National Ballet du Senegal) and Akua Femi Kouyate who cofounded Memory of African Culture in DC. Amadou, who appears today with his apprentice, Jumoke Ajanku, is a master of the Manding kora – a West African gourd/harp that is one of the tools of the Diali’s trade.
Sensación Vallenata – Colombian Vallenato Named for a valley in northern Colombia, vallenato music blends West African, European, and indigenous styles with button accordion played at breakneck speed. It was first performed by cattle herders who delivered news from town to town through song. Sensación Vallenata has been at the center of Latino music in Montgomery County for nearly two decades. (M O N TG O M E RY CO U N T Y )
S E N S AC I Ó N VA L L E N ATA
The Swallows – Doo-Wop/R&B
(B A LT I M O R E
The Swallows were founded in 1948 in Baltimore and were mentored by the late Sonny Til of the Orioles R&B group. The Swallows scored a top ten hit in 1952 with “Will You Be Mine” while lead singer Eddie Rich was still a teenager. The song is considered one of the first doo-wop hits. Doo-wop grew up on street corners in Eastern industrial cities like Baltimore, combining gospel quartet harmonies and vocal imitations of jazz instrumentation. Eddie Rich performs today with his apprentice Leroy “Linky” Miller. CITY)
T H E S WA L LO W S
Uhwachi-Reh – Native American Dance & Drum (B A LT I M O R E C I T Y ) “Uhwachi-Reh” is a Tuscarora
U H WAC H I - R E H
name meaning “Extended Family.” Thousands of Native Americans – mostly from North Carolina’s Lumbee and Haliwa-Saponi tribes – migrated to Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood following the Depression for work in the city’s booming industrial plants. Louis Campbell, who is Lumbee, leads Uhwachi-Reh and creates ceremonial regalia influenced by inter-tribal pow-wows.
CHOIR HYMN REHOBOTH WELSH CHURCH
Indoor Theater Stage Côr Cymraeg Rehoboth – Rehoboth Welsh Choir (H A R FO R D CO U N T Y ) Côr Cymraeg Rehoboth is
CÔ R C Y M R A E G R E H O B O T H
the house choir of Rehoboth Welsh Church in Delta, PA, across the border from Cardiff, MD. The Church is one of the last remaining Welsh congregations in the US where services are conducted in Welsh. Established in 1984, the choir performs internationally and sang at the wedding of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. This year, the Church’s Reverend, Richard Baskwill, is teaching Welsh choral music to his apprentice (and grandson), Bradley Martin.
Marimba Linda Xelajú – Guatemalan marimba (M O N TG O M E RY CO U N T Y ) Robert
M A R I M B A L I N DA X E L A J Ú
Giron was born in Guatemala and formed Marimba Linda Xelajú after moving to Maryland in 1983. The Giron family performs at events in the Guatemalan community as well as at Roman Catholic ceremonies for Señor de Esquipulas (Black Christ). The marimba – an amalgamation of Mayan, African, and European instruments – is the national instrument of Guatemala. Robert Giron and his daughter, Beverly, received an Apprenticeship Award in 2010.
The New Gospelites – Gospel Quartet
Shane Carpenter
THE NEW GOSPELITES
(K E N T
The New Gospelites formed in Chestertown in 1973. An acapella gospel quartet active throughout the Delmarva, they sing at the 9AM service at St. George’s United Methodist Church in Worton Point. They embody the Chesapeake Tidewater’s significant heritage in the development of quartet style singing. The New Gospelites are Irene Wilson Moore, Mary Hynson, Franklin Hynson, Hester Newman, and James Phillips. CO U N T Y )
SCHEDULE Maryland Traditions TIME
EAST AVENUE STAGE
INDOOR THEATER STAGE
MARQUEE LOUNGE
11:00 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00
11:30–12:00 Performance on Street
Uhwachi-Reh Native American dance & drum
12:15
12:15–1:00
12:30
Cambodian-American Heritage Khmer classical court dance
12:45 1:00 1:15
1:15–2:00
1:30
Amadou Kouyate Manding orchestra
1:45
12:00–12:45
12:00 –12:45
Côr Cymraeg Rehoboth Rehoboth Welsh choir
Kicking Off World Refugee Day
1:00–1:45
1:00–1:45
SIDRA South Indian Kuchipudi dance
African American Quartet Singing
with The Swallows & The New Gospelites
2:00
2:00–2:45
2:00–2:45
2:15
2:15–3:00
Stories from the Field:
2:30
Carroll County Ramblers Bluegrass
Marimba Linda Xelajú Guatemalan marimba
2:45 3:00 3:15 3:30
3:00–3:45 Performance on Street
Drum Call: The Pulse of Africa
Folklorists at Work in the Mid-Atlantic
3:00–3:45
3:00–3:45
Vibrant Traditions: World Xylophones
The Banjo in Maryland
3:45 4:00 4:15 4:30
4:00–4:45
4:00–4:45
4:00–4:30
Sensación Vallenata Colombian Vallenato
The New Gospelites Gospel quartet
Globe Poster
4:45 5:00 5:15 5:30
5:00–5:45
5:00–6:15
The Swallows Doo-wop/R&B
Old Bay Céilí Band Irish traditional dance band
5:45 6:00
6:00–7:00
6:15
Lafayette Gilchrist & The New Volcanoes Jazz
6:30 6:45 7:00
Folklife Festival 2013 CLASSROOM 2ND FLOOR Workshops
MEDIA LAB 2ND FLOOR Workshops
STUDIO 7 2ND FLOOR Workshops
CRAFTS TENT
GALLERY 2ND FLOOR
Workshops
Workshops
11:00–5:00
All Day
All Day
Face Painting all ages
Globe Poster Make your own, all ages
Edwin Remsberg’s Portraits of Maryland Traditions
All Day
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Crab Picking, Oyster Shucking, and Eel Pot Making, all ages
12:00–1:00
Halyna Mudryj Ukrainian pysanky (egg painting) ages 8 & up
1:30–2:30
Halyna Mudryj Ukrainian pysanky (egg painting) ages 8 & up
1:00–5:00
1:00–2:00
Francisco Loza Arte en Estambre ages 8 & up
Screen Painting ages 8 & up
12:00–5:00
90 min. each: 12:00–1:30 1:30–3:00 4:30–6:00
Piñata Making all ages
Blessed Coffee Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
Edwin Remsberg’s Portraits of Maryland Traditions
All Day
Sign up at tent in advance.
2:00–3:00
Screen Painting Walking Tour ages 8 & up
3:00–4:00
All Day
Mei Yu Green Chinese brush painting ages 8 & up
Globe Poster Make your own, all ages All Day
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Crab Picking, Oyster Shucking, and Eel Pot Making, all ages
4:30–5:30
Rich Smoker Decoy painting ages 8 & up
4:30–6:00
Blessed Coffee Sign up at tent in advance.
5:30–6:30
Shanthi Chandrasekar Indian kolam painting ages 8 & up
Workshops This year festival-goers can partake in several workshops that are held inside the Creative Alliance building and outside in the Occupational and Crafts Traditions tents. Offered to both children and adults is poster making by hand, using the letter presses of Globe Poster, Piñata making with Mís Raices, Traditional Chinese Brush Painting, led by Mei Yu Green, duck decoy painting with Rich Smoker, Ukrainian Pysanky Egg Painting with Halyna Mudryj, Screen Painting with Anna Pasqualucci, Indian Kolam Painting with Shanthi Chandrasekar, which involves making decorative paintings with powder, and Fransisco Loza’s Arte en Estambre, or Mexican Yarn Painting, which involves making paintings with the intricate placing of yarn threads on wood, canvas or paper.
Indoor Theater Stage The Old Bay Céilí Band – Irish Traditional Dance Band (B A LT I M O R E C I T Y ) The Old Bay Céilí
T H E O L D B AY C É I L Í B A N D
Band is a local and international force of young talent from both Baltimore and DC’s Irish music scenes. Their lively form of dance band music has won accolades in Ireland and throughout the Irish diaspora. Flautist Laura Byrne received an Apprenticeship Award in 2011, accordionist Sean McComiskey apprenticed to his father (Billy) in 2004, and pianist Matt Mulqueen apprenticed to Donna Long in 2010.
Sutradhar Institute of Dance & Related Arts (SIDRA) – Devi Dance Theater – Kuchipudi Classical Dance (M O N TG O M E RY
SUTRADHAR INSTITUTE OF DA N C E & R E L AT E D A R T S (S I D R A ) – D E V I DA N C E T H E AT E R
CO U N T Y ) SIDRA and Devi Dance Theater present “Merging Rivers Past and Present and Tomorrow.” Led by Nilimma Devi and Anila Kumari, SIDRA is known for innovative interpretations of South Indian Kuchipudi dance. Rooted in the South Indian community of metro DC, SIDRA’s creative vision goes beyond the Indian diaspora, presenting pieces that draw threads between ancient texts and contemporary social issues. Devi received an Apprenticeship Award in 2007, and Kumari appears today with her apprentice, Mrinalini Pillai.
Vibrant Traditions – World Xylophones – the instrument Westerners call the xylophone
VIBRANT TRADITIONS
developed over the course of centuries, traveling from the far East along the Silk Road and expanding out from the Middle East to Europe, West Africa, and into the Americas. Join Master Chum Ngek (Cambodian roneat), Robert Giron (Guatemalan marimba), Uasuf Gueye (West African balaphone), and pianist Lafayette Gilchrist as they explore the common musical ground connecting these far-flung musical traditions.
E V I DA N C E T H E AT E R C E & R E L AT E D A R T S (S I D R A ) – D S U T R A D H A R I N S T I T U T E O F DA N
In the Marquee Lounge Stories from the Field: Folklorists at Work in the Mid-Atlantic Folklorists document diverse cultural traditions. Who exactly are these folklorists, and how do they do what they do? Join four working folklorists as they describe collecting folklore and working with folk artists across the Mid-Atlantic. Recounting their experiences, participants will give a taste of the life of a folklorist in the field.
The Banjo in Maryland Discover the banjo’s rich international heritage through its long-standing significance as a Maryland tradition (since the 1740s!). Follow the instrument’s path from West Africa to the Caribbean and North America. Join Amadou Kouyate, Kevin Enoch, Pete Ross, and Greg Adams as they share stories, music, and instruments that reflect the banjo’s enduring presence in the Chesapeake region and Baltimore.
African-American Quartet Singing The Chesapeake Tidewater was a significant place for the development and national popularization of African-American gospel quartet singing. While devotional in origin, this vocal tradition also flowered as a secular music on urban street corners. This secular style – known today as doo-wop – is closely associated with Eastern industrial cities like Baltimore. Join members of the Swallows and the New Gospelites for song and conversation.
Kicking off World Refugee Day: the relationships between ‘home’ and ‘tradition’ explores the ever-changing relationship between our old and new homes and the living traditions we embody and bring with us. What does it mean to bring a ‘home’ tradition to a new ‘home’, such as the city of Baltimore, and what changes does it undergo? Do these traditions help us to connect back to our previous homes and, thereby, provide a sense of comfort and pride? Produced in partnership with the Baltimore Resettlement Center in Baltimore.
G LO B E P O S T E R
Globe Poster – Making Something New From Something Old Globe Poster was founded in Baltimore in 1929, producing posters and placards for carnivals, drag races, politicians, and more. Their R&B posters – many of which are on displayed in the gallery today – came to define the visual aesthetic of R&B, Funk, Soul, and Hip-Hop. Join gallery curator Chloe Helton-Gallagher for a conversation with Globe letterpress artist Bob Cicero and MICA letterpress instructor Mary Mashburn about the illustrious world of Globe.
Occupational and Crafts Traditions M A RY L A N D B OA S T S A R I C H D I V E R S I T Y O F O CCU PAT I O N A L A N D C R A F T S - R E L AT E D C U LT U R AL PR AC T I C E S . Some are distinctive to towns, cities and regions within Maryland, while others have found a new home here more recently. Certain traditions are closely tied to the vocations of working Marylanders, while others serve as more of an avocation for those who know and practice them today. In Baltimore, G. Krug and Son Ironworks is run by 5th generation blacksmiths, Peter Krug and his brother, Stephen. The Krug family aesthetic has adorned the city for more than 190 years, including the practical and ornamental ironwork that graces local landmarks like the Washington Monument and the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Also in Baltimore for nearly 200 years is Loane Bros., the company that started out in sail making in the early 1800s and produced the tents for today’s festival!
East Baltimore is the home of the living tradition of Painted Screens, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year! In 1913, their inventor, William Oktavec, realized that painting the screens of windows can provide privacy to those living inside the city’s row houses. Today, The Painted Screen Society helps to promote and teach this unique Baltimorean tradition. T H E PA I N T E D S C R E E N S O C I E T Y
Frank Bittner, a master wood grainer living on the Eastern Shore, learned the skills of wood graining, or faux finishing, from his grandfather, whose artistry helped to transform the windows, doors and vestibules of numerous Baltimore row houses. Martha Hopkins (Baltimore), a master silversmith, is one of only a few artisans who still hand-hammers silver and practices the delicate art of silver “chasing”, where every hammer blow counts, inside and out. Working in precious metals, Rose Duke, is a master engraver who worked at The Steiff Company, in Baltimore, from 1978 until it closed. Originally starting out by spraypainting dollhouses, she quickly moved into engraving, specializing in the Lady Claire line of flatware. She now engraves all sorts of precious metals for her company, Talisman Design Hand Engraving, and is teaching her apprentice, Wayne Werner, a jewelry-maker also based in Baltimore, the art of metal engraving.
ROSE DUKE
Another distinctive Baltimore tradition is that of Arabbing: the selling of produce, fruit and other items from a horse-drawn wagon since the mid-19th century. Mostly a male tradition, and in more
C LO C K FAC E F R O M L . H E D G E CO C K S M I T H ’S S T U D I O
recent history, African-American, arabbing consisted of a system of food distribution that linked the city’s docks along the harbor to street after street of row houses beyond. Today, arabbers are diminishing in number due to several factors. Donald “Manboy” Savoy, Sr., an elder in the arabbing community of West Baltimore, has been arabbing for over half a century. In St. Michaels, Michael Vlahovich (Talbot County) is a master builder and restorer of the Chesapeake’s vanishing skipjack fleet, the wooden boats that have dredged oysters for over a century. His apprentice, John Rafter, is learning this art by helping to restore Kathryn, located on Deal Island and one of the oldest skipjacks on the Chesapeake. M I C H A E L V L A H OV I C H & C R E W
Andy Shaw is the shipwright at historic St Mary’s City and a master spar-carver, which is the mast of a ship and critical for effective sailing. On land, Rhonda Aaron is a master muskrat skinner and cook who lives in and off the Blackwater marshes of Southern Dorchester County. Having been taught by his grandfather from the age of 6, Steve Sullivan (Dorchester County) is a master Purple Martin house builder, making homes for the singing birds that eat pesky insects. Each of Steve’s houses can provide homes for dozens of martins, which is why he sometimes calls them “martin mansions”. In Somerset County, Rich Smoker is a master duck decoy carver who won the 2008 Ward World Championship in the Shootin’ Rig category, and in 2011 he received the Maryland Traditions ALTA Award.
Warren Saunders, from Dorchester County, is also a
WA R R E N S AU N D E R S
master duck decoy carver who learned from many wellknown carvers, including the legendary Ron Rue. Warren was featured in Smithsonian Magazine, teaches at regional museums and high schools, and competes throughout the US. This year, he is teaching his apprentice, Roger Webster, an avid hunter, the art of making working ducks for use out in the marshes of the Eastern Shore.
The making of musical instruments is also practiced by many in the state. Baile McKnight is a celebrated master drummer and drum-maker in Maryland and DC’s African drum and dance community. He established Baile’s African Drum Works in Forestville in 1975, and performs today with Drum Call. Kevin Enoch and Pete Ross are masters in banjo making. Using the skills he has learned as a carpenter, Kevin’s late 19th century-style banjos are distinctive in design and
F I N I S H E D K N I F E BY E . JAY H E N D R I C K S O N
masterful in their construction. Pete is a leading maker of colonial-era gourd banjos and has learned intricate engraving and decorative inlay work from Kevin. Roberto Rivera is a master Puerto Rican Cuatro maker living in Walkersville. The Cuatro is a ten-stringed lute in the guitar family and is the national instrument of Puerto Rico. Roberto has either built or worked on stringed instruments for some of Puerto Rico’s foremost cuatristas. He is joined today by his son, Julian.
Leland Hedgecock Smith runs Barren Creek Clocks, his studio and shop, in Mardela Springs (Wicomico County). After breaking his grandmother’s clock at age 11, he took it to a local repairman and began an apprenticeship that opened his eyes to the precise world of clock-making. Now a master, he is helping his apprentice, Michael Higdon, to make his own clock, including the gears, from scratch.
L E L A N D H E D G E CO C K S M I T H AND MICHAEL HIGDON
Shanthi Chandresekar is a master Indian Kolam painter from North Potomac, who learned from her grandmother in Tamil Nadu, India. Traditionally, Indian women began their day by drawing Kolams with rice flour — temporary, symbolic paintings — outside their front door as a sign of welcome to guests. Carla Tomaszewski is a first-generation Polish-American, born and raised in Baltimore, who uses dyes, batik (wax resist), etching, and painting to create dazzling designs on fragile eggshells – the art of pisanki, an Eastern European decorative tradition most visible at Easter time. From Frederick County, Shawn Hendrickson is learning to create handmade knives from his father, E. Jay Hendrickson, a master bladesmith who specializes in Damascus steel blades and intricate handle inlays. Jay was fortunate to have learned from the late William Moran, the Frederick bladesmith who founded the American Bladesmith Society and is known for rediscovering E . JAY H E N D R I C K S O N Damascus Steel in the 20th century. Jay and Shawn run the William F. Moran, Jr. Museum and Foundation, in Middletown. Also make sure to meet Ronald Mejia, who makes the hand-painted signs for many Upper Fells Point, Baltimore, establishments!
Foodways Traditions A G O O D E X A M PLE FO R U N D E R S TA N D I N G H OW CU LT U R A L T R A D I T I O N S A R E PA SS E D O N B E T W E E N PE O PLE I S TO T H I N K A B O U T FO O D — H OW W E G E T I T, PR E PA R E I T A N D CO N SU M E I T. The recipes and techniques needed for creating and enjoying the wide range of culinary dishes and specialties from around the world often come from those before us — whether it’s our grandmothers’s recipe for spaghetti sauce, or our community’s love of all things crab! There is no denying that food brings people together, that it is deeply tied to our understandings of cultural identity and sense of place, and is an integral part of many cultural traditions that range from the religious to the secular. In Maryland, there exist a variety of distinctive foodways traditions, such as Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham, wide-ranging BBQ traditions, and Smith Island Cake, the official state dessert. Blessed Coffee of Takoma Park maintains the living tradition of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, while B&B Meats of Frostburg keeps the 100 year old tradition of Engle’s Frostburg Bologna a staple of Western Maryland lunches.
Design by Evins Design, Baltimore
In the Galleries In the upstairs gallery, festival-goers are also treated to Edwin Remsberg’s Portraits of Maryland Traditions. Edwin Remsberg began documenting Maryland Traditions Master-Apprentice teams in 2008. These timeless images can be found throughout this publication and online. Descended from Frederick County farmers, and now at home in rural Harford County where he raises sheep, Edwin travels extensively to capture agricultural work and E DW I N R E M S B E R G life in America. His publications include Maryland’s Vanishing Lives (Johns Hopkins Press, 1995) and Dishing Up Maryland (Storey Books, 2010). Globe Poster: Not to be Missed! is an exhibition that celebrates the R&B, Funk and Hip-Hop posters produced by Globe Poster Company, recipients of the 2009 Maryland Traditions ALTA Award. Globe Poster, which opened in 1929 and closed in 2010, is now the Globe Collection and Press at MICA. Bob Cicero, one of Globe’s former owners, teaches the craft of letterpress and postermaking at MICA. The exhibition is curated by MFA candidate, Chloe Helton-Gallagher, as part of a collaboration between Creative Alliance, the Globe Collection and Press at MICA, and the MICA’s MFA in Curatorial Practice Program.
C LO C K F R O M L E L A N D H E D G E CO C K S M I T H ’S BA R R E N C R E E K C LO C K S
For more information on Maryland Traditions visit: www.marylandtraditions.org Clifford Murphy, PhD, Director, Maryland Traditions
Michelle Stefano, PhD, Program Coordinator, Maryland Traditions
Department of Business & Economic Development www.ChooseMaryland.org Maryland State Arts Council www.msac.org 175 West Ostend Street, Suite E Baltimore, Maryland 21230 T E LE PH O N E: 410-767-6555 M D R E L AY T T Y: 1-800-735-2258 OR 711 If you need assistance using this publication, please contact the MSAC office at T E LE PH O N E: 410-767-6555 or T T Y: 1-800-735-2258 or 711 for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Individuals who do not use conventional print may contact the Maryland State Arts Council office to obtain this publication in an alternate format. T E LE PH O N E: 410-767-6555 E M A I L: msac@msac.org Special thanks to our partners, the NEA, NCTA, MSAC staff, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Middle Atlantic Folklife Association (MAFA), Baltimore Resettlement Center, Hannah Rogers, Kate McMillan, Mary Zajac, Meg Dibley, Roland Freeman, Julia Evins, Josh Kohn, David Puglia, Elaine Eff, Aaron Henkin, Abby Becker, and Shane Carpenter. Photography by Edwin Remsberg
Martin O’Malley Governor Anthony G. Brown Lieutenant Governor Dominick Murray Secretary, Department of Business and Economic Development
NCTA