The Library of Virginia and the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities present a two-day celebration of Virginia’s rich folklife heritage!

On July 7, 5:30–8:00 p.m., join us for a reception, the premiere of eight short documentary films and a stage program honoring five artist teams in the Virginia Folklife Program’s apprenticeship program. The program supports artists in the continuation of living traditions. The following artists will be honored during this event: 

• Joshua Purnell of Norfolk, who is working to revive the Tidewater’s tradition of community blues dancing
• D. Brad Hatch, who has trained fellow Patawomeck tribal members David Onks IV and Reagan Andersen to weave eel pots in Fredericksburg
• Kazem Davoudian and Alexander Sabet, whose Washington, D.C.-based apprenticeship centered on the tar, an Iranian long-necked string instrument
• Isha M. Renta Lopez of Fredericksburg, who trained with one of the leaders in Bomba dance, Margarita Tata Cepeda of San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Bernadette Lark and Alanjha Harris of Roanoke, who have been practicing Gullah Geechee-style gospel singing

Schedule

• 5:30 p.m. | Reception
  Enjoy complimentary light refreshments and a display of eel pots built by D. Brad Hatch, David Onks IV and Reagan Andersen.
• 6:00 p.m. | Film Screening
  Short documentaries on the artist teams invite you to step inside the workshops, practice rooms and studios of apprenticeship artists to learn more about these cultural traditions and the communities that sustain them.
• 7:00 p.m. | Apprenticeship Celebration
  We will welcome each team onto the stage to celebrate their work together.

For more details, visit virginiafolklife.org or https://www.virginiafolklife.org/events/2023/07/folklife-apprenticeship-celebration-at-the-library-of-virginia/.

For more information, contact Catherine Fitzgerald Wyatt at 804.692.3999 or catherine.fitzgeraldwyatt@lva.virginia.gov.

This is a free event. Registration is required. Register here. Seating in the Lecture Hall is available on a first come, first served basis. Limited free parking is available in the deck underneath the Library building.

Come back and join in Saturday's festivities. On July 8, 12:00–4:00 p.m., join us for performances, displays and activities highlighting old and new Virginia musical traditions including blues, Bomba and Plena, fiddling, shape-note singing and more. The Library will also display rare items from our music collections and provide activities for young visitors.

Find more anniversary events at lva.virginia.gov/200.