Vale, NC – Hart Square Foundation is proud to announce the launch of the Folkways Film Series, a cinematic celebration of cultural heritage. This series will serve as a platform to preserve and share traditional American culture and will take place every Thursday evening in June at 6:30pm. Each film features artisans, tradition bearers, and storytellers who carry cultural traditions forward through craft, music, foodways, and dance.
Thursday, June 5th will showcase craft traditions, featuring the North Carolina pottery tradition and basket weaving. Two films will be screened, “Crawdad Slip” and “Learned It In Back Days and Kept It.” Lindsay Lambert, the Executive Director of the NC Pottery Center will be a special guest presenter.
Photo: From the film “Me and Stella & Musical Holdouts.”
Thursday, June 12th showcases “Southern Stews: A Taste of the South.” This documentary connects the past with the present, from folk heritage communal cooking traditions, to 21st century culinary food artisans, to stews that contain a blended history of our European, African, and Native American roots. Chef Calvin Reyes will be the culinary arts presenter, with a stew tasting included!
Thursday June 19th features the films “Me and Stella” and “Musical Holdouts.” “Me and Stella” shares the life story of Elizabeth Cotton and her guitar, Stella. Elizabeth was an African American blues musician, folk singer, and composer who became a star in the 1960s at an age when most people are considering retirement. “Musical Holdouts” features a varied group of individuals who have retained their cultural identities through music and have become part of the “melting pot” of American society.
The final screening showcases traditional dance and will be held on Thursday, June 26th. “Talking Feet” will be the featured documentary. This film looks at a combination of traditions that meet in Appalachia, including: flatfooting, clogging, and buck dancing. One of Hart Square’s community square dance callers, Rodney Sutton, is featured in this film and will be the artist presenter.
Screenings will take place in the Great Hall of the Sigmon Family Education Center. Tickets are available online or at the door. Popcorn and concessions will be available for purchase.
Purchase online tickets at https://www.hartsquare.com/visit/events/folkways-film-series-june-5-12-19-26
This project is supported by a grant from Arts Culture Catawba.
Hart Square Village is an open-air museum located in Vale, North Carolina, consisting of 103 historic log structures built between 1760 and 1893. Hart Square Foundation is the non-profit organization that preserves Hart Square Village and shares traditional arts and trades through year-round mission driven programming.
