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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...Digital Traditions
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.
Within this Series
Audio
Miller Pottery, Brent, Bibb County. Interview recorded June 1981. Since the retirement of his father, the family pottery has been managed by this fourth generation potter. This Alabama potting dynasty...Audio
Elizabeth Ringus, Paw Print Pottery Barnwell, Barnwell County. Interview recorded June 2007. Liz Ringus has been turning pots for over 36 years. A native of Massachusetts, Ringus and her husband Paul...Audio
Franklyn De Loach shares how the baskets were used according to their sizes.Audio
Interviewed by Dale Rosengarten In this interview, Barbara McCormick talks about the places she goes to find the materials she uses to make basketsAudio
Billy Henson and Cinda Baldwin discuss the need for stoneware. A native of Lyman in Spartanburg County, Henson came from a long line of traditional potters. Both his grandfather, Jesse Vardry Henson...Audio
"Hattie Mae Stewart Brown talks about pottery involvement." The daughter of Mississippi potter Homer Wade Stewart, Hattie Mae married journeyman potter Horace “Jug” Brown. She met Brown when he worked...Audio
"Annette Stevens talks about what her family turned." 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...Audio
"Three things about a potter, according to Horatio Boggs." Horatio Boggs is descended from a long line of family potters with roots in Alamance County, North Carolina. Like many other potters in the...