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The Alabama Community Scholars Institute took
place at the University of South Alabama in Mobile,
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| The Faculty |
Description
The Alabama Community Scholars Institute (ACSI) is a training program for
people who want to research, document and present various aspects of Alabama’s
traditional culture—the music, food, crafts, stories, celebrations,
work traditions, etc., of their own communities. The 2008 Alabama Community Scholars Institute will
take place on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
It will start on Friday June 20 after dinner and continue through the
evening of June 28.
ACSI is valuable to people
involved with local museums, arts councils and festivals, to those involved
in cultural tourism, to college students interested in the field of folklore,
to school teachers who plan to do oral history projects with their students
and to individuals already documenting local traditions without the benefit
of training.
Throughout the intensive 9-day program (see tentative
schedule), participants learn all aspects of
doing fieldwork: recognizing traditions, conducting field surveys, interviewing
and recording, photographing and videotaping tradition bearers and logging
and transcribing interviews. They learn about grant seeking and various ways
in which to exhibit their work. They learn how folk traditions can be part
of cultural tourism plans which may be of economic benefit to their communities. To learn and practice skills
required in folklore fieldwork, Community Scholars will research
Mobile's Mardi Gras and interview people involved in that traditional
event. Students come with a project concerning
their own local culture in mind and throughout the Institute they learn
how to make that project a success.
Who may apply?
ACSI students are diverse in ethnicity and age. We prefer that students be
at least 18 years of age and there is no upper age limit or required degree.
Students must live in Alabama. They are selected on the basis of a proposed
project that they will complete after attending ACSI. Applicants who propose
to document important Alabama traditions and explain how they will present
their research in their communities will be accepted as Community Scholars.
After we have accepted 25 scholars, all other applicants will be put on a
waiting list.
What is meant by "traditional
culture?"
The Alabama Community Scholars Institute teaches participants to recognize and
study living aspects of our our own culture that have passed from generation
to generation within families and communities. Such things as decoration
days, Sacred Harp singings, fishing, hunting, foodways, traditional crafts,
community celebrations and other things mentioned on the AFA home page are
part of our traditional culture. Applicants to ACSI are asked to propose a
topic of interest to them that involves their local culture. Topics that
are solely historical or deal with individuals whose accomplishments have
nothing to do with traditional culture should not be submitted. Joyce
Cauthen, co-director of ACSI, will be happy to discuss your proposed project
with you before you submit it. E-mail
her or call her at 205-822-0505.
See the list below of projects that were accepted for ACSI 2004 and 2006.
To Listen to a 30-minute radio program about ACSI 2004, click here. Scroll to "Community Scholars Institute."
To read the ACSI newsletter in which Community Scholars
tell of their current activities, click
here.
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Community
Scholars 2006 at Jerry Brown's Pottery in Hamilton |
Holly Fowler photographs Clifford Alexander, the "Dancing Machine" at ACSI 2008 |
A Cluster of 2004 Community Scholars at Monroe County ("Mockingbird") Courthouse |
Cost of ACSI
Tuition, dorm rooms and meals are free to those who are selected for the program.
There will be a $50 registration fee (payable upon acceptance into the
Institute). Students will pay for all off-campus meals
and transportation to and from the Institute.
Application--Deadline:
There are no longer openings. Contact us if you would like to know of future
events.
Click here for application.
Schedule
Click here to view tentative schedule.
Community Scholars and their Projects
2004
Fannie Smith, Prattville , midwifery for exhibit at Peoples Historical Museum
Odessa Settles and Kevin Carroll, African-American gospel groups in Alabama
.
Linda Vice, Thomasville and Judy Martin ( Tuscaloosa ), folklore fieldwork
for the Alabama Tombigbee Tourism Initiative
Wanda Robertson, Florence , medicinal use of wildflowers and herbs
Randy Arnold and Amy LeePard, Tuscaloosa , family farming
Deborah Casey, Eufaula, farm buildings and their related farming traditions
Trudy Brower, Hoover , Birmingham ’s Unitarian community
Matt Downer, Ider, traditional music of Sand Mountain
Diane Gerard, Mobile , documentation skills to teach to her history students
at the Alabama School of Math and Science
Cathy Green, Gadsden, decoration days. and other aspects of local African-American
culture in Gadsden .
Russell Gulley, Fort Payne , small community radio stations
Charles Kelley, Birmingham , Hispanic traditions in Alabama
Bill Martin, Gaylesville, folklore fieldwork for the Interpretive Center of
the Little River Canyon National Preserve
Tatum Preston, Birmingham , documentation of quilts in the collection of the
Birmingham Museum of Art
Kerry Reid, Grove Hill, documentation of “Little Croatia” for
the Clarke County Historical Museum
Ana Self Schuber, Tuscaloosa , documentation of quilters for the West Alabama
Quilt Guild
Susan Thomas, Mobile , Gulf Coast foodways
Raul Valdez, Birmingham , Hispanic traditions in Alabama
Amy Pierce, Birmingham, folk art walking sticks and other crafts for Children’s
Hands-On Museum
Lori Sawyer, Atmore, cultural traditions of the Poarch Creek Indian community
2006
Jake Fussell, Shoals area fieldwork
Karren Pell, Oral Histories in
Sheila Limerick, Document Black Belt Culture for library's special collections
Janice McDaniel, Exhibit for Mule Day and May Fest on NW Alabama traditions
Evan Haarbauer, Documentation of community of artists who do festivals
Mary Latimore, Develop exhibits for Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative
Annie Cooper, Research for reunion of all Colberts in Colbert Co and vicinity
Ellen Mussleman, Festival Community at Moundville Archaeological Park
Sara Sawyer, Creek Indian stomp dancing
Marcus Johnson, Brass Band tradition in
Shirley Baxter and Willie Wilchie, Video on The
Mary Lou Mallette, Photo Exhibit & documentation of
Carolyn Brown-Perez, Video on
Wanda Johnson, Oral Histories of African-American Catholics in
Carole King, Documentation of quilts discovered in Alabama Quilt Project
William Allen, Documentation of Coal Mining in
Trey Bunn, Development of Archive of
Gail King, Documentation of "Black Dutch" in
Kaci Hildreth, Interviewing railroad workers for
Thomas Kersen, Incorporating folklore fieldwork into college anthropology
classes
Dewanna Banks, Labor lore of paper mill workers
Donna Hickman, Religious roots of Shoals Music
2008
Amy Beach, Fishing families-Bayou La Batre
Emily Blejwas, Black Belt Traditions for Civil Rights Heritage Trail
Amanda Blum, Small town banks, specifically Alabama Exchange Bank of
Steve Dark, Potters of
Patrice Dees, Wilcox Co. culture (for oral histories by students)
Jacquelyn Denson, Oral history project for
Holly Fowler, Rural traditions of Escambia/
Whitney Green, Inventory of Black Belt Artists
Stephanie Jackson, Instructional materials for
Connie James, Documenting
Tyler Kittles, Bayou La Batre culture
Maggie Legg, Produce a play about Civil Rights Area in
Barry Little, Collecting stories of the Alabama Gulf Coast Area
Megan Loper, Oral histories of families effected by violence
Annette Otts, Rural folk structures of
Patsy Peoples, Documenting history and culture of Florala with her students
Sylvia Stephens, Document the work and life history of quilter Mozell Benson
Ashley Tillery, Museum on
Joseph Trimble, Collecting Alabama folktales
Donna Turner, Oral histories of mining families of
Cristina and Barbara White, Oral histories in Loachapoka
Tonja Young, Oral History project of Daphne, AL
What Community Scholars have said about ACSI:
“The two-week intensive training provided me with the tools and skills
that I needed to productively begin my documentation projects. The AFA did
an excellent job of choosing an enthusiastic and motivated group of Community
Scholars. I was able to network and get to know people who have proven to
be great resources and gatekeepers. Everyone at the Institute had a fascinating
project that they were working on.” Amy LeePard, Tuscaloosa
“The Institute resulted in our museum writing a successful grant to
conduct field work documenting Croatian culture in our county. We are in the
process of interviewing the tradition bearers and have gleaned new and fascinating
information about this distinct local culture. Our budget is very small and
the museum couldn’t afford to pay for this type of training. Without
the Institute, our museum would have never undertaken this important field
work.” Kerry Reid, Director, Clarke County Museum
“As a result of attending ACSI I am now in a position to assist in leading
my community toward the development of cultural tourism programming. As an
economic development tool, such programs are intended to assist in replacing
jobs lost due to out-sourcing within the textile industry, an industry that
has long been the mainstay of our local economy. This year several new festivals
and events are already being planned and presented for our community.”
Russell Gulley
“I feel one of the long-range benefits of the Community Scholars Institute
was its influence on the participants to become informal ambassadors for the
on-going preservation of local culture and customs. I believe everyone who
attended went back to their own communities with a renewed enthusiasm for
documenting, saving and otherwise preserving folkways unique to each person’s
locale.” Susan Thomas, Mobile
| The AFA hopes that ACSI participants will be a diverse, multi-cultural group and seeks your help in reaching potential community scholars. If you know of cultural organizations that would benefit from this program, please share this information with them or send their names and addresses to AFA, 2169 Shadybrook Lane, Birmingham, AL 35226 or e-mail Joyce Cauthen. |
The Alabama Community Scholars Institute is made possible by:
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