FOLKFabulous at the South Carolina State Fair

FAIN: ZR-256701-18

University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC 29208-0001)
Jane Ellen Przybysz (Project Director: February 2017 to July 2023)

FolkFabulous at the South Carolina State Fair, a 12-day series of narrative stage performances, facilitated dialogues, and “pop-up-museums” that focus on an expanded and deeper understanding of the cultural and geographic specific traditions of the Southeastern United States.

McKissick Museum of the University of South Carolina proposes partnering with the South Carolina State Fair (SCSF) and the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois & United Tribes of South Carolina to transform a signature one-day event--FOLKFabulous--into a twelve-day program series through which we aim to significantly enhance and deepen the educational dimension of SCSF offerings, while broadening, building, and energizing the emergent humanities community McKissick has built over the past 40 years. Building on our annual Diverse Voices exhibit themes, these activities shine a light on tradition bearers representing South Carolina’s diverse cultural landscape—storytellers, material culture artists, musicians, dancers, and foodways specialists, among others—who will demonstrate or perform, conduct hands-on workshops and participate in narrative stages. Interactive “Pop-up museums,” are a new feature, in which the pubic brings their own artifacts to share and interpret with others.