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Digital Traditions

Home to a wealth of folk traditions, South Carolina is culturally and geographically diverse. 

General - Traditional Arts

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.  

Digital Traditions was developed to provide access to the Folklife Resource Center (FRC) 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. For further information about any of the artists featured on Digital Traditions, send your questions and comments to hallagan@mailbox.sc.edu.

Resource Type
Norman Smith on the Early Days | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Norman Smith on the Early Days | Digital Traditions
Episode 1
Norman Smith (d. 1990), Lawley, Chilton County. Interview recorded June 1981. Norman Smith began working in the family pottery in 1920 and opened his own shop in 1932 a few miles away. Arguably one of...
Oscar Smith Speculates on a Successor | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Oscar Smith Speculates on a Successor | Digital Traditions
Episode 2
Oscar Smith, Lawley, Perry County. Interview recorded June 1981. Norman Smith began working in the family pottery in 1920 and opened his own shop in 1932 a few miles away. Arguably one of the most...
Norman & Oscar Smith Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Norman & Oscar Smith Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 3
Norman Smith began working in the family pottery in 1920 and opened his own shop in 1932 a few miles away. Arguably one of the most traditional of southern potters still practicing in 1981, he used a...
Marie Gooden Rogers Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Marie Gooden Rogers Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 2
Marie Gooden married into a potting family and was given informal instruction in shop operations and the nuances of turning by her husband, Horace Rogers. After his death in 1962, Marie decided to...
Landrum Family Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Landrum Family Photos | Digital Traditions
Dr. Abner Landrum (1783-1856) was a major figure in the development and dissemination of the alkaline-glazed pottery tradition. In addition to being a newspaper editor and land speculator, he is...
Kenneth Outen: Matthews Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Kenneth Outen: Matthews Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 2
The Outens had been in the pottery business since the 1870s, working in both North and South Carolina. Kenneth Outen inherited the family's pottery in the town of Matthews, east of Charlotte, from his...
Harold Hewell on Family Tradition | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Harold Hewell on Family Tradition | Digital Traditions
Episode 1
Hewell Pottery, Gillsville, Banks County. Interview recorded with family members in June 1981. The Hewell family potting dynasty began with Nathaniel H. Hewell (1832-1887). For years, the Hewell...
Hewell Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Hewell Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 4
Hewell Pottery, Gillsville, Banks County. Interview recorded with family members in June 1981. The Hewell family potting dynasty began with Nathaniel H. Hewell (1832-1887). For years, the Hewell...
Florence Wade Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Florence Wade Photos | Digital Traditions
Florence Wade learned to make pottery from her sisters and other family members, including accomplished Catawba potters Sara Harris Ayers and Edith Brown. The Harris family of Catawba potters belongs...