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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
Howard Connor Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Howard Connor Photos | Digital Traditions
Connor was born in Wickliffe, Kentucky, the son of journeyman potter Charles Tipton Connor. C. T. Connor established a pottery in Ashland, Mississippi in 1940, less than twenty miles from the...
Collin Rhodes Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Collin Rhodes Photos | Digital Traditions
Collin Rhodes (1811-1881) owned or co-owned a number of pottery factories including Pottersville, Phoenix Factory, and finally the Collin Rhodes Factory (ca. 1843) in Edgefield during the early to mid...
Phoenix Factory Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Phoenix Factory Photos | Digital Traditions
The Phoenix Stone Ware Factory was established ca. 1840 by Collin Rhodes and his partner Robert Mathis. Mathis and Rhodes were the former co-owners of the Pottersville factory when they opened the...
Thomas Chandler Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Thomas Chandler Photos | Digital Traditions
Thomas Chandler (1810-1854) was perhaps the most skillful potter to work in Edgefield. Born in Drummondtown, Virginia, he is believed to have been a descendant of John Chandler of Fulham, England, who...
Hattie Mae Stewart Brown: Horace Brown | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Hattie Mae Stewart Brown: Horace Brown | Digital Traditions
Episode 2
"A story of whiskey jugs and watermelons told by Horace Brown." The daughter of Mississippi potter Homer Wade Stewart, Hattie Mae married journeyman potter Horace “Jug” Brown. She met Brown when he...
Horace Brown: Face Jug | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Horace Brown: Face Jug | Digital Traditions
Episode 3
"Horace Brown makes a face jug as remembered by his son." The daughter of Mississippi potter Homer Wade Stewart, Hattie Mae married journeyman potter Horace “Jug” Brown. She met Brown when he worked...
Hattie Mae Stewart Brown Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Hattie Mae Stewart Brown Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 4
The daughter of Mississippi potter Homer Wade Stewart, Hattie Mae married journeyman potter Horace “Jug” Brown. She met Brown when he worked in her family’s Louisville, Mississippi pottery in the...
Brown's Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Brown's Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 2
A fifth-generation potter, Otto Brown (1899-1980) was a true journeyman potter. The son of Georgia potter James Osborne Brown, Otto turned pots in Alabama, Georgia, and both Carolinas, often with his...
Horatio Marion Boggs Photos | Digital Traditions - Episode 3 Horatio Marion Boggs: Ralph Miller | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Horatio Marion Boggs: Ralph Miller | Digital Traditions
Episode 2
"Ralph P Miller tells of potting heritage and Yankee origins" Horatio Boggs is descended from a long line of family potters with roots in Alamance County, North Carolina. Like many other potters in...
Horatio Marion Boggs Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Horatio Marion Boggs Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 3
Horatio Boggs is descended from a long line of family potters with roots in Alamance County, North Carolina. Like many other potters in the 19th century, the Boggs family migrated southwestward in the...
Sara Ayers Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Sara Ayers Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 7
Sara Ayers was a highly accomplished Catawba potter who exemplified the major artistic tradition of South Carolina's earliest residents. Daughter of David A. Harris, chief of the Catawba Nation from...
Sara Ayers: Grandfather | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Sara Ayers: Grandfather | Digital Traditions
Episode 4
Ayers discusses the role of her grandfather in her pottery making. Sara Ayers was a highly accomplished Catawba potter who exemplified the major artistic tradition of South Carolina's earliest...
Sara Ayers: Firing | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Sara Ayers: Firing | Digital Traditions
Episode 5
Ayers tells Cinda Baldwin about the firing process. Sara Ayers was a highly accomplished Catawba potter who exemplified the major artistic tradition of South Carolina's earliest residents. Daughter of...
Sara Ayers: Uniqueness | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Sara Ayers: Uniqueness | Digital Traditions
Episode 6
Ayers discusses how no two of her pieces are ever exactly alike. Sara Ayers was a highly accomplished Catawba potter who exemplified the major artistic tradition of South Carolina's earliest residents...
Joe Cumbee | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Joe Cumbee | Digital Traditions
Joe Cumbee, a retired tug boat captain from McClellanville in Charleston County, has captured important images of coastal South Carolina on paper and canvas. Mr. Cumbee has filled his free time before...
Sara Ayers: Animal Figures | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Sara Ayers: Animal Figures | Digital Traditions
Episode 1
Sara Ayers talks with Cinda Baldwin about animal figures in her pottery. Sara Ayers was a highly accomplished Catawba potter who exemplified the major artistic tradition of South Carolina's earliest...
Sara Ayers: Tools | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Sara Ayers: Tools | Digital Traditions
Episode 3
Ayers tells Cinda Baldwin about the tools she uses to make pottery. Sara Ayers was a highly accomplished Catawba potter who exemplified the major artistic tradition of South Carolina's earliest...