NC Field is NC Folk’s blog about folklore in the field and about the field of folklore. Whether it’s a guide to conducting family oral histories or a profile of a great artist, NC Folk's work across our state’s 100 counties means that we engage with hundreds of unique voices and ideas every year. 
The North Carolina Arts Council has released a draft plan for the arts over the next four years and is seeking public input through an online survey. The document that results will be a new strategic plan to shape the future of NC arts for the next four years – 2015-2019. If you think this is… Read More →
Encouraging “Place-Rooted” Development: Notes from Stone Country
by Joseph O’Connell In the late 1970s, Bedford, Indiana began investing in the construction of a nine-story-tall pyramid. Made from locally-quarried limestone, the pyramid was intended as the centerpiece and chief attraction of a heritage park interpreting the local architectural stone industry. As a symbol, it would invite the comparison between Bedford’s achievements and those… Read More →
Ethics of the documented – Finding Vivian Maier
The newly released documentary Finding Vivian Maier tells the story of John Maloof’s purchase of a box full of old negatives at auction, hoping they would relate to the book he was writing about his Chicago neighborhood. Instead, they led him to the discovery of street photographer Vivian Maier. As Maloof learns more about her work (which… Read More →
May Day – Tom Dula’s Hanging and the Ethics of the Documented
On this day in history – May 1, 1868 – Thomas C. Dula was hanged in Statesville, NC for the murder of Laura Foster. Dula (pronounced “Dooley”), the bloody murder, and subsequent trial became the infamous subjects of the “Ballad of Tom Dooley.” Much has been written over the years about the actual murder, the ballad, and… Read More →
Storytelling Animals
by Joy Salyers, Executive Director On May 6th and 8th, I’ll be participating in the Raleigh performances of a national movement called Listen to Your Mother. 32 cities nationwide are hosting these live staged readings in honor of Mother’s Day, each directed, produced, and performed by local communities, for local communities. Last year was the… Read More →
Pete Seeger’s lessons for we who sing, and we who stand nearby
(Pete Seeger at the Great Hudson River Revival, 2011) (Post title comes from Seeger’s song, “To My Old Brown Earth”) Last Monday morning sometime after six, I heard the radio talking about Pete Seeger’s career and said aloud, “Oh, no.” Throughout the day and week I read many tributes and memorials in the news… Read More →
Remembering Ted Hicks
by Tom McGowan The death of Ted Hicks last Friday deprives our community and the community of scholars and storytelling artists of an extraordinary bearer of family and local traditions. Born in 1954 in Avery County, the son of Ray and Rosa Hicks, Ted stayed at home in their iconic weathered house on the… Read More →