Ms. Wesley Goes to Washington - Connecting with Folk Arts Colleagues at NASAA
From October 6-8, Vermont Folklife's Director of Education, Mary Wesley, joined fellow Folk and Traditional Arts program managers for a special gathering in Washington, DC. Read this Fieldnote about Mary’s trip!
Spooky Season Returns!
Last year Vermont Folklife Archivist, Andy descended into our deepest archival crypts and brought forth a casket load of fascinating Halloween pranks undertaken by naughty Vermont youngsters in days of yore.
Among the pranks he dislodged from the brooding depths beneath VT Folklife HQ were accounts of an unnamed mechanism—an implement of raw chaos—employed by miscreant youth to strike the starkest of terrors into the hearts of unwitting elders on All Hallows Eve. What was this nameless mechanical nightmare, you ask?
Proud Little State #2 - Civil Unions
COMING SOON! Proud Little State #2- Burlington Pride 1983. Read or download here.
Announcing the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program 2026/27 Cohort
We are excited to announce the latest cohort of master artist/apprentice pairs for the 35th year of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP)! Fifteen projects from around the state received support, including Mexican Ballet Folklorico, Swedish nyckelharpa, Bhutanese Nepali dance, granite stone sculpture and carving, Afghan traditional music, and more!
Square Dance at the Fair…and in the Archives!
On Tuesday, September 1 at the Champlain Valley Fair, Vermont Folklife’s own Mary Wesley will be calling a square dance for the masses—a second attempt to break the standing Guinness Book’s record for the world’s largest square dance. This inspired us to delve further into Vermont Folklife’s and other archival collections to feature a few items that illuminate the presence of square dance and social dancing in the state.
Baseball Folklife - A Conversation with Troy Boyer
On July 28, 2026 the Vermont Lake Monsters are sponsoring a fund raising game for Vermont Folklife! Ahead of the game, Andy reached out to is old friend, folklife scholar and lifelong baseball enthusiast, Troy Boyer, to talk folklore baseball, and the culture of the sport.
2026 Young Tradition Touring Group - Adventures in Sweden!
Vermont Folklife’s Young Tradition Touring Group journeyed to Sweden this spring for a performance tour and immersive cultural exchange. Below, Young Tradition Vermont Director Ian Drury and Touring Group Manager Christina Kennedy reflect on the Touring Group’s experiences aborad!
Archival Connections for Multilingual Educators and Learners
Kate and Mary (Exec. Director and Dir. of Education at Vermont Folklife) were honored to take part in a professional development event hosted by the Vermont EL (English Learners) Leaders Collaborative and the Department of Multilingual Learners of the Burlington School District. “Come to the Table,” brought together Multilingual Learner Specialists (MLLs) specialists and educators from across the state to share resources, build relationships, and strengthen support for immigrant and refugee students and families.
Young Tradition Festival 2026: That’s a Wrap!
Vermont Folklife’s 2026 Young Tradition Festival on May 8 and 9 brought young artists and multi-generational performances into spaces across Burlington. This year’s event lineup welcomed hundreds of participants and audience members to dance, play, listen, and learn alongside local artists representing Tibetan, Bhutanese Nepali, New England, Québecois, Scandinavian, Irish, West African, Mexican, and other cultural traditions present in Vermont communities.
From the Archives
Vermont Folklife is excited to announce the acquisition of a new collection for our archive, the Diana Mara Henry One Room Schools and Schoolteachers Collection. Diana Mara Henry is a Vermont-based photographer and photojournalist who, over a career spanning more than 50 years, has created a significant body of photographic work on topics including antiwar activism, political campaigns, and the Women’s Movement of the 1970s and 80s, among many other subjects.
Gather ‘Round—A new Vermont Folklife Program Continues to Grow!
Vermont Folklife recently received a grant from the Turrell Fund to support the continued development of our innovative early childhood music and movement program: “Gather ‘Round.” This Field Note shares the research and pilot activities accomplished in the pilot year of the program (generously supported by Building Bright Futures) and gives a glimpse of what’s to come!
Proud Little State #1 - Burlington Pride 1983
Proud Little State #1 - Burlington Pride 1983. Read or download here.
Vermont’s Wild Turkeys
Wild turkeys may be everywhere in Vermont these days, but from 1854 to 1969 there were no wild turkeys in the state.
VT Folklife Guest Presenters at Middlebury College
Educators from Vermont Folklife have recently been invited as guest presenters to several classes at Middlebury College as part of the college’s Mellon Foundation–funded project, Migrant Justice in Vermont and Beyond. With support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Humanities For All Times initiative, the College seeks to bring students and faculty together with community partners to explore migration, storytelling, and social justice through research and public humanities work.
Young Tradition Touring Group - January Field Note
January update from the Young Tradition Touring Group! Led this year by Ethan Tischler and Alex Kehler, these twenty-four talented traditional musicians aged 12-19 hail from Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and Québec. Touring Group members play fiddle, harp, guitar, cello, ukulele, whistle/flute, and piano accordion. . . and they all sing, too!
VT Community Fellows Spotlight: Alexis Yamashita
Meet some of the Vermonters taking part in the first cohort of the Vermont Community Fellows Program! In this blog post Alexis Yamashita of Essex Junction, VT shares what she’s learned through her research exploring seed saving practices in Vermont communities.
Announcing the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program 2025/26
We are excited to announce the latest cohort of master artist/apprentice pairs for the 34th year of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP)! Thirteen projects from around the state received support, including stone carving in Barre, a Nepali youth dance group in Chittenden County, willow basket making in Plainfield, VT, and more!
VT Community Fellows Spotlight: Jeanette Gyukeri
Meet some of the Vermonters taking part in the first cohort of the Vermont Community Fellows Program! In this blog post Jeanette Gyukeri of Middlebury shares what she’s learned through her research with her home community, asking the question, “Who does Middlebury’s Main St. exist for?”