Monday, August 28, 2006

Welcome to Digital Traditions!

Home to a wealth of folk traditions, South Carolina is culturally and geographically diverse. From the Appalachian Mountains to the Sea Islands and from rural crossroads to urban centers, the state boasts rich sources of traditional culture and folklore.

Rooted in family and community activities, folklife involves expressive forms of many kinds that are communicated verbally and by observation or imitation. Folk artists can learn through apprenticeships, but most often are taught informally by family members or close friends. This sharing of information can occur in many different group settings - familial, occupational, religious, social, and educational. Folklife is dynamic by nature, a part of a community's history that continues to develop every day, with every generation.

The Digital Traditions website was developed to provide access to the Folklife Resource Center at McKissick Museum. For thirty years, deeply-rooted traditions like quilting, pottery, basketry, communal foodways, and folk music have been documented through audio, video, and photography. Visit the website at www.digitaltraditions.net and return to this blog for running commentary, observations, and insight into South Carolina traditional culture.

1 comment:

Riverventure said...

Glad to see that you are blogging. I went to a librarian conference yesterday and they spoke to the importance of providing a voice and a personality to library sites through blogs. I believe this could be said for museums, online archives and Knowitall as well. As the next generation relies on the web as a social network and their primary information tool, blogs return a human element that is lost in the transition...