NC Field is the North Carolina Folklife Institute's blog about traditions in North Carolina and about the field of folklore. Whether it’s a guide to conducting family oral histories or a profile of a great artist, NCFI's work across our state’s 100 counties means that we engage with hundreds of unique voices and ideas every year. 
We’re pleased to be re-launching our NC Field blog, after several years’ hiatus! Our thanks to Truman Austin, a senior at Chapel Hill’s Emerson Waldorf School, for sharing this article with us. Special thanks as well to Pastor Rev. Dr. Reginald Stephens, Minister of Music Raymond Johnson, and the congregation of White Rock Baptist Church,… Read More →
NC Folk Shines a Light on Jugtown Potters, Harkers Island Mariners, and Burlington Lowriders
NC Folk was recently featured in INDY Week (article by Spencer Griffith). Click here to read the full article. For more than forty years, the North Carolina Folklife Institute has worked alongside other nonprofits to promote awareness of the state’s shifting cultural practices, covering a broad array of food, music, arts, and vocations. Recently, it… Read More →
Potter Mark Hewitt receives United States Artists Fellowship
by Evan Hatch NC Folk wanted to spread the word. Pittsboro potter Mark Hewitt has been awarded a United States Artists Fellowship. The award comes with a $50,000 unrestricted prize allowing Hewitt to make needed repairs to his farm. Check out the article in the Raleigh N&O: http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article49211350.html Of course Mr. Hewitt is no stranger… Read More →
Martín Ramírez and the USPS
by Evan Hatch In a quirky and remarkable gesture, the United States Post Office issued a limited-edition set of Forever stamps featuring the work of Sr. Martín Ramírez. This gesture is remarkable because this semi-famed Mexican American artist is considered by many to be a visionary artist – a category of artists generally relegated… Read More →
Calvin Trillin expounds on NC BBQ
by Evan Hatch Calvin Trillen’s thoughtful New Yorker piece offers some insights into the battle over North Carolina BBQ, and into North Carolina culture. It is a pleasant piece and its greatest strength is to recognize the futility in defining North Carolina BBQ. We know what BBQ is. And we know what it isn’t. No amount… Read More →
Watch This Is My Home Now: The Montagnard Community in Greensboro
by Evan Hatch Documentarian Mariah Dunn Kramer found her calling early in film making through a fortuitous turn of events. In 2013, her participation through the “Smithsonian Young Historians, Living Histories” program led Kramer to conduct intensive oral history work with with Greensboro’s Montagnard youth. The experience only marked the beginning of this venture. This… Read More →
Instagram for Nonprofits
by Tat’yana Berdan Recently some experts have begun to question the effectiveness of Facebook– the largest social media site – in helping an organization reach its followers. No matter how many followers you have, they may not see your posts unless you are willing to “boost” them (i.e., pay for them to show up). This new pay-to-play model has particularly… Read More →
Socially Conscious Organizations
By Lea Efird Traditional structures of nonprofits are the realities for most of these entities, but hybrid and for-profit structures are on the rise in the US and internationally and have also been successful. If a nonprofit reevaluated its accomplishments, goals, etc., would the 501(c)(3) model be most effective for it, versus new legal/financial possibilities?… Read More →
Contra Dancing in Carrboro
by Tat’yana Berdan “‘Hunker down’ is a technical term in contra.” The above is one of the many verbal gems I overheard last weekend at the Friday night contra dance held in Carrboro’s Century Center. My friend Dana introduced me to contra dancing my freshman year of college. I took ballroom lessons for many years… Read More →
Tyris Jones, Storytelling as a Craft
by Sarah Bryan By returning to his roots, Tyris Jones discovered a new path in life. The Laurinburg native lived away from his hometown for years, but when he came back to live in Scotland County, he was inspired to combine his professional background and his family traditions into a new career as a storyteller…. Read More →