The museum’s current special exhibit Real Folk: Passing on Trades & Traditions Through the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program opened up only a couple of weeks before state closings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This exhibit gives viewers an inside look at a variety of crafts and traditions and the people who are keeping them alive, helping to ensure that Virginia’s treasured folkways remain in good keeping for years to come. While we can’t welcome visitors to the museum and this wonderful exhibit right now, that doesn’t mean you can’t explore Real Folk virtually! BCM staff have created five virtual tour videos, each focusing on different areas of the exhibit; a new video will be released on social media each Thursday through June 4 and then added to this page. We have also produced student activity sheets to go along with the tours, a great way for kids to learn more about the different crafts and the concepts of tradition and apprenticing, and most importantly, to have fun!

 

The photographs in the exhibit are by Morgan Miller (black-and-white images) and Pat Jarrett (color images); the text on which the narration is based was provided by Jon Lohman.

 

Check out the virtual tours of Real Folk below!