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Folklife Fieldwork & Oral History

Folklife fieldwork and oral history are research methods used to document community voices and expressive culture. In doing so, folklorists and oral historians seek to understand people’s lived experiences through ethical interviewing and collaborative documentation.

Interested in conducting your own oral histories or folklife fieldwork?

Are you curious about how to do your own documentation with community leaders, elders, folk and traditional artists, or cultural communities in a way that is ethical, collaborative, and responsive? Contact Folklorist Emily Hilliard at hilliarde1@berea.edu or 859-985-3309 in Special Collections and Archives to discuss your project idea and schedule an oral history or collaborative ethnography workshop for yourself, campus group, or class. I am happy to assist with issues of oral history and fieldwork documentation including project development, interviewing, audio equipment, recording, transcribing, community reciprocity, presenting your documentation, and more.   

The Berea Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers Berea College students the opportunity to apprentice with community artists in traditional arts and craft, foodways, storytelling, music or dance. Examples of past and potential apprenticeship topics include Appalachian weaving, hip-hop music production, forest farming/foraging, bluegrass music, Indian dance, storytelling, blacksmithing, Mexican foodways, basketweaving, instrument building, seedsaving, Ballet Folklorico, and other traditions that are part of any cultural community in Appalachia.

Students earn a half credit (and fulfill the College’s ALE requirement) for their apprenticeship which are supervised by Berea College’s folklorist and will require at least 150 hours of active learning across the 7 weeks of the summer semester.

How these hours will be spent will vary depending on the discipline and apprenticeship but will be achieved by regular one-on-one instruction with the mentor artist, required weekly class meetings with the folklorist and other apprentices, and individual practice time (selected students will submit a workplan with their mentor accounting for their hours before beginning their apprenticeship). During class meetings, students will be trained in documentation methods, given lessons on transmission and sustainability of folk and traditional art and culture, and will submit a progress report and final report and presentation at the end of the semester. During the course of the semester, the College folklorist will conduct site visits with each apprenticeship pair, and this documentation will become part of the In These Mountains Collection housed at Berea College Special Collections and Archives.

For Summer 2026, 6 apprenticeships are available. Mentor artists must be located in an Appalachian Regional Commission county. For a full list of ARC counties, visit https://www.arc.gov/appalachian-counties-served-by-arc/

Applications for Summer 2026 are available here: https://berea.box.com/s/qmjtav5smods6ho806mew3j3jui39zis

Goal: 

Facilitate intergenerational transmission and sustainability of traditional arts and culture in the Appalachian region while supporting and recognizing both teaching artists and emerging artists/practitioners.

Anticipated Learning Objectives: 

By the end of this apprenticeship the apprentice will be able to: 

• Demonstrate the basic techniques and skills in their chosen discipline
• Describe their chosen art form, practice, or tradition, including its techniques, place-based history, and community of practice
• Explain and apply concepts of tradition, heritage, intergenerational transmission, as relevant to their chosen art form or practice
• Develop one-on-one applied active learning skills
• Share their chosen art form, practice, or tradition with others
• Successfully complete the work described in their specific workplan

Expected Responsibilities: 

Prior to the apprenticeship, the apprentice should expect to:

• Complete a projected workplan and budget for their apprenticeship, approved by their mentor artist
• Participate in an on-campus orientation in April

During the apprenticeship, the apprentice should expect to:

• Participate in weekly remote class meetings and complete all required readings and assignments, including regular progress reports
• Complete at least 150 hours of work (as described in their individual work plan) in their chosen discipline, consisting of regular one-on-one instruction with the mentor artist, required weekly class meetings with the folklorist and other apprentices, and individual practice time
• Participate in a site visit with the College folklorist and their mentor artist
• Submit a final report/program evaluation

After the apprenticeship, apprentice should expect to:

• Give a short presentation about their apprenticeship on-campus in Fall 2026

Ideal Qualifications / Prerequisites: 

The ideal apprentice applicant has:

• Enthusiasm for and some preliminary knowledge of the traditional art or craft they plan to study
• Commitment to and flexibility for learning in a one-on-one, hands-on environment with a working artist or practitioner
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• An interest in folklore, traditional arts/craft, music, foodways, dance, and/or storytelling
• Ability to work and learn independently and collaboratively

Funding:

Mentor artists will receive $2,500 for their participation and student apprentices can receive up to $500 for apprenticeship-related travel and/or supplies/materials. Students will be required to submit an initial budget detailing how they plan to use these funds. The Berea Folklife Apprenticeship Program is supported by South Arts’ In These Mountains initiative.

Application Process and Timeline:

• Submit initial Berea Folklife Apprenticeship Program Application by February 20, 2026 to Emily Hilliard at hilliarde1@berea.edu using the subject line “Berea Folklife Apprenticeship Application,” or via Handshake 
• Students will learn of their acceptance by March 20, 2026
• Selected students will participate in an on-campus orientation in April and will be required to submit a workplan and budget, with approval from their mentor artist, by May 8
• Apprenticeships begin June 15 and end July 31 

Questions: Email Emily Hilliard at hilliarde1@berea.edu

Join us at the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center on Wednesday, October 15 at 5:30pm for dinner and an author talk by climate organizer and comic artist Denali Sai Nalamalapu. Nalamalapu is the author of Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance, based on the stories of 6 frontline resisters to the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia. Nalamalapu lives in Southwest Virginia and is originally from Southern Maine and Southern India. Learn more about them at https://denali-sai.com/

On Thursday, October 16 from 11:30am-12:45pm in Rogers-Traylor 211, Nalamalapu will lead a social justice comic drawing workshop. Space is limited and sign-up is required. Sign up at https://forms.gle/v4Aw3Na6mc2iJ8FG9

Office Location

Hutchins Library, Room 130

Courses

• Introduction to Folklore GST/APS 286
• Berea Folklife Apprenticeship Program APS 386

Emily Hilliard is the Folklorist at Berea College. Previously, Hilliard worked as the Program Director for Folk and Traditional Arts at Mid Atlantic Arts and as the West Virginia State Folklorist and Founding Director of the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council. She holds an M.A. in folklore from the University of North Carolina and a B.A. in English and French from the University of Michigan. Her book, Making Our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia, was published by the University of North Carolina Press in November 2022, and was named a finalist for the 2022 Appalachian Studies Association and Berea College's Weatherford Award in nonfiction for books “best illuminating the challenges, personalities, and unique qualities of the Appalachian South.” Learn more about her work at www.emilyehilliard.com.