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 .