The Handmade Music School Presents:
Handmade at Home - A Virtual Workshops Series

“You Should Have Been Here Yesterday”:  The Evolving Work of the Folklorist in the 21st Century

Jon Lohman, approaching his 20th year as Virginia’s State Folklorist, will discuss the work of the Virginia Folklife  Program and its evolution over time.  Lohman will contextualize current work activities within the history of the field’s particular focus on Southern Appalachia.  As mobile technologies and other advances have facilitated and encouraged mountain residents to become the documentarians of their own community practices, what is the role of the folklorist in the 21st century?

Jon Lohman is the Virginia State Folklorist and Director of the Virginia Folklife Program. Jon earned a Ph.D. degree in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. Since coming to Virginia Humanities in 2001, Lohman has been actively showcasing Virginia’s rich cultural folkways throughout the state at festivals, exhibitions, workshops, and other public programs, as well as various forms of media including radio and video, and production of professional, studio recordings, as well as recording countless hours of field recordings of traditional musicians. Lohman has presented his work and collaborated with the Smithsonian, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, and numerous cultural organizations and festivals throughout Virginia and the country.

You Should Have Been Here Yesterday with Jon Lohman