Whether it is a story about growing up in Allagash or learning about basketmaking on Indian Island, Maine is a storied place. The Story Bank project, a collaborative venture between Cultural Resources and the Maine Folklife Center, hopes to record the histories, talents and voices of people from all over the state.
In June, 2008, twenty-two people from all over Maine, attended the first Story Bank Institute at the University of Maine, Orono.The four-day institute trained participants on how to collect, document and present local stories. Taught by a team of documentary specialists and folklorists, Story Bank participants learned fieldwork techniques, audio and video recording, digital photography, archiving and developing public presentations.
As part of Story Bank, 5 Institute participants, who have been documenting their community’s history and local culture will present their stories at the upcoming American Folklife Festival in Bangor August 23 & 24.
Saturday, August 23
12:30 Hispanic culture in Maine with Greater Bangor Advocates for Hispanic Culture with Maria Sandweiss and Joanna Cuervo
1:30 Shell fish stories with Brenda Cummings (Bath) and Nancy Dewey (Deer Isle)
3:00 Wabanaki Basketry with Pam Cunningham (Hampden)
4:00 Allagash Stories with Chace Jackson (Allagash)
Sunday, August 24
12:30 Fort Kent Mills Rugmakers with Kathleen Mundell
1:30 St. John River Batteaux making with John Connors and Chace Jackson (Allagash)
2:30 Working the Woods with Rangeley Woodcarver Rodney Richards and Jo Radner
3:30 Stories from the Madawaska Weavers
Story Bank is also interested in hearing your story. Bring a friend, a loved one or just yourself to the Story Bank RV, which will be parked near the Folk and Tradition area and sign up, for an interview. At the RV, a facilitator will guide you through the interview process and handle all the technical aspects of the recording with the help of Salt Institute’s Rob Rosenthal. At the end of your 30-minute session, you will have an audio CD of your interview. Inspired by StoryCorps, Story Bank is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts
Whether’s it’s on the dance floor or at the kitchen table, the French speaking communities of Maine and Louisiana share a rich tradition of music that springs from the heart of home. But for many people, this idea of home was hard won. Centuries ago, Acadian French settlers from the Maritime Provinces were forced to leave after decades of war with the British. Some settled in the St. John Valley of Maine, while other headed for the bayou country west of New Orleans, Louisiana, where together with earlier French settlers to the area, they came to be known as Cajuns (from the word Acadians). Although Acadian, Quebecois and Cajun culture have been shaped by different histories and influences, these early roots can still be heard in each region’s musical traditions.
Just ask master Maine fiddler Don Roy, singer Lucie LeBlanc Ouellette of the St. John Valley in Maine and Louisiana singer Marce Lacouture.
Don Roy, Lucie LeBlanc Ouellette and Marce Lacouture will kick off the House Party tour on August 22 at the Franco-American Centre in Manchester New Hampshire, travel to the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston, Maine on August 23 and then on to the American Folk Festival in Bangor on August 24, 2008. On October 11-12, Lucie Ouellette will perform with Marce Lacouture at the Festivals Acadiens in Lafayette, Louisiana. Produced by Cultural Resources, House Party is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Maine Arts Commission, the Davis Foundation and the New England Foundation for the Arts. |
