NC Folk

Helping communities across the state connect their heritage arts and traditions to local development, education, and active citizenship

Zoe Van Buren

Chapel Hill, Orange County, NC
Skills: Interviews, Photography, Research, Sound Recording, Writing

Professional Statement / Description of Work

Zoe van Buren is interested in public folklore, race and religious experience, material culture, and occupational folklife. She has worked with Arts MidHudson in Poughkeepsie, NY on a study of step teams in local schools; the New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival and Fishing Heritage Center in New Bedford, MA; the North Carolina Arts Council; and the West Virginia Humanities Council on the documentation of a community historian’s collection of antique work tools and occupational histories.

Education / Experience

Zoe received her B.A. with honors in Anthropology from Vassar College in 2013. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Folklore at UNC Chapel Hill, to graduate in 2017.

Awards / Shows / Fairs / Collections

Other research projects have addressed African American old-time string band music and “crankies” in contemporary ballad singing. She has published in Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore, and is experienced in photography and fiber arts.