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["On the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2019, The West Virginia Folklife Program hosted a showcase of their Folklife Apprenticeship Program, featuring master gospel and blues musician Doris Fields (aka Lady D) with apprentice Xavier Oglesby, and master old-time fiddler John D. Morris with apprentice Jen Iskow. The free event was held from 5:30-7:30pm at the historic MacFarland-Hubbard House, headquarters of the West Virginia Humanities Council (1310 Kanawha Blvd. E), in Charleston. The evening included musical performances by the two pairs and a question-answer session, followed by a reception.Doris Fields, who performs as Lady D, is known as West Virginias First Lady of Soul. A West Virginia native, she began singing in church choir as a child and has performed original and traditional blues, gospel, R&B, and soul across the state and country, including for the Obama for Change Inaugural Ball. Xavier Oglesby grew up singing in the black Pentecostal church and has performed in local a capella and theatre groups. He recently recorded voiceovers for the New River Gorge African American Heritage Auto Tour. Both Fields and Oglesby reside in Beckley.John D. Morris, of Ivydale, is an acclaimed West Virginia fiddler and tradition bearer who has been honored by the Augusta Heritage Center, the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, the West Virginia Fiddler Award, and a National Heritage Fellowship for his role in sustaining the tradition. Jen Iskow, of Thomas, is a West Virginia University alumni, community organizer, artist, and designer at Beartown Design Studio. She has studied with numerous masters of Appalachian old-time fiddle.The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers a stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These apprenticeships aim to facilitate the transmission of techniques and artistry of the forms, as well as their histories and traditions. 2018 was the first year of the biennial Folklife Apprenticeship Program.Read more about the apprenticeship pairs on the West Virginia Folklife blog:https://wvfolklife.org/2018/12/03/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-doris-fields-aka-lady-d-xavier-oglesby-blues-black-gospel/https://wvfolklife.org/2018/11/09/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-john-morris-jen-iskow-old-time-fiddling-and-stories-of-clay-county/"]%

1. John D. Morris talks between songs at an Apprenticeship Showcase at the West Virginia Humanities Council, 1 of 2

Identifier:
4224.ApprenticeshipShowcase.Photo.009.1.16.19
Title:
John D. Morris talks between songs at an Apprenticeship Showcase at the West Virginia Humanities Council, 1 of 2
Date:
2019-01-16
Creator:
Keller, Mike
Subject:
Charleston (W. Va.)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["James L. Day (July 5, 1932-April 12, 2019) was the owner of JL Day Sign Company in St. Albans, WV. He made hand-bent neon signs for nearly 60 years and was one of the last hand tube benders in the Kanawha Valley.In 2018, the West Virginia Folklife Program worked with West Virginia Public Broadcasting to produce audio and video documentaries about Day. View them at https://wvfolklife.org/2018/09/04/st-albans-artisan-has-been-making-neon-signs-by-hand-for-five-decades-a-profile-of-james-l-day/Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCe99a7ke50&feature=emb_titleAudio: https://soundcloud.com/wvpublicnews/wva-artisan-has-been-making-neon-signs-by-hand-for-five-decadesRead Days obituary here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/saint-albans-wv/james-day-8250954"]%

2. Unlit Chris' Hot Dogs neon sign made by James Day of Day Sign Company

Identifier:
4224.DayJames.Photo.005.11.8.17
Title:
Unlit Chris' Hot Dogs neon sign made by James Day of Day Sign Company
Date:
2017-11-08
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Saint Albans (W. Va.), Neon signs, Tube bending, Charleston (W. Va.)
Location:
Saint Albans (W. Va.)
["Rev. Ronald English of Charleston, West Virginia was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1944. He grew up in the community surrounding the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta and his family was close with the family of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. English is a graduate of Morehouse College and served as ministerial assistant to Drs. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sr. He delivered a prayer at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Rev. English was called to the First Baptist Church of Charleston in 1972 where he served for 21 years. He now serves as an interim minister in Charleston and is a consultant in healing and restorative justice.In this interview with state folklorist Emily Hilliard and American Friends Service Committee West Virginia Economic Justice Project director Rick Wilson, Rev. English speaks about his relationship with Dr. King, his work as a pastor and community leader in Charleston, and his mindfulness practice."]%

3. Portrait of Rev. Ron English

Identifier:
4224.EnglishRonald.Photo.001.9.4.19
Title:
Portrait of Rev. Ron English
Date:
2019-09-04
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Charleston (W. Va.), Restorative justice, African Americans--Appalachian Region, Civil rights movements, African American Baptists
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["WYPR producers Aaron Henkin and Wendel Patrick worked with West Virginia state folklorist Emily Hilliard to produce two episodes of the Out of the Blocks on Charlestons West Side. Learn more: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/01/17/out-of-the-blocks-podcast-highlights-charlestons-west-side-west-virginia-folklife-hosts-listening-party-february-12/"]%

4. Out of the Blocks podcast producers Aaron Henkin & Wendel Patrick and state folklorist Emily Hilliard

Identifier:
4224.HenkinAaronHilliardEmilyPatrickWendel.Photo.11.22.19
Title:
Out of the Blocks podcast producers Aaron Henkin & Wendel Patrick and state folklorist Emily Hilliard
Date:
2019-11-22
Creator:
Patrick, Wendel
Subject:
Radio programs, Charleston (W. Va.)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan were participants in the 2020-2021 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Kim Johnson, a resident of South Charleston led an apprenticeship in banjo traditions of central West Virginia with apprentice Cody Jordan of Charleston. Johnson began playing with fiddler Wilson Douglas in 1979 and has played with and learned from many acclaimed West Virginia old-time musicians including Frank George and Lester McCumbers. She has taught both locally and nationally, at Augusta Heritage Center, Allegheny Echoes, The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, and the Berkeley Old-time Music Convention. Jordan plays guitar in The Modock Rounders with Johnson, touring across the state and region, and is looking forward to expanding his knowledge of central West Virginia old-time banjo traditions.See our feature on Johnsons apprenticeship with Jordan here: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/09/04/2020-folklife-apprenticeship-feature-kim-johnson-cody-jordan-banjo-traditions-of-central-west-virginia/The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These apprenticeships aim to facilitate the transmission of techniques and artistry of the forms, as well as their histories and traditions.The apprenticeship program grants are administered by the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council in Charleston and are supported in part by an Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. West Virginia Folklife is dedicated to the documentation, preservation, presentation, and support of West Virginias vibrant cultural heritage and living traditions."]%

5. 2020 Folklife Apprenticeship participants in old-time banjo Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan in masks at the Craik-Patton House, 1 of 2

Identifier:
4224.JohnsonKimJordanCody.Photo.001.8.27.20
Title:
2020 Folklife Apprenticeship participants in old-time banjo Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan in masks at the Craik-Patton House, 1 of 2
Date:
2020-08-27
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Contributor:
Jordan, Cody, Johnson, Kim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Apprenticeship programs, Folk music--West Virginia, Charleston (W. Va.), Old-time music, Banjo, Fiddle tunes
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Jay ONeal (b. Amarillo, TX) is a Charleston resident, history teacher at Stonewall Jackson Middle School, and one of the central organizers of the West Virginia Teacher Strike. He speaks about his role in the strike and the context of it within a broader labor movement."]%

6. Portrait of West Virginia teacher Jay O'Neal

Identifier:
4224.ONealJay.Photo.001.3.21.19
Title:
Portrait of West Virginia teacher Jay O'Neal
Date:
2019-03-21
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Labor union members, Strikes and lockouts--Teachers, Charleston (W. Va.)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["James Shaffer, b. 1929, of Charleston Broom and Mop, in Loudendale, WV is one of the last commercial broom makers in the state of West Virginia. He began making brooms at the age of 17 and at the time of the interview, still maintained a shop outside of Charleston. See the short video produced in partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting:, James Shaffer, Charleston Broom & Mop Company at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=O3lrgTn2hyM and the interview with Jim, Building a Broom by Feel: Jim Shaffer by Emily Hilliard in Southern Cultures fall 2017, Vol. 23, No. 3: Things at http://www.southerncultures.org/article/building-broom-feel-jim-shaffer/"]%

7. Broom sewing machine at Charleston Broom and Mop Company

Identifier:
4224.ShafferJames.Photo.001.10.17.16
Title:
Broom sewing machine at Charleston Broom and Mop Company
Date:
2016-10-17
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Broom and brush industry, Charleston (W. Va.), Broom and brush industry--Employees
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["James Jim Shaffer, b. 1929, of Charleston Broom and Mop, in Loudendale, WV is one of the last commercial broom makers in the state of West Virginia. He began making brooms at the age of 17 and at the time of the interview, still maintained a shop outside of Charleston. See the short video produced in partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting:, James Shaffer, Charleston Broom & Mop Company at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=O3lrgTn2hyM See the post on the West Virginia Folklife Program blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2017/03/30/building-a-broom-by-feel-an-interview-with-james-shaffer/Read the interview with Jim, Building a Broom by Feel: Jim Shaffer by Emily Hilliard in Southern Cultures fall 2017, Vol. 23, No. 3: Things at http://www.southerncultures.org/article/building-broom-feel-jim-shaffer/"]%

8. Jim Shaffer adds straw to a broom

Identifier:
4224.ShafferJames.Photo.001.4.4.16
Title:
Jim Shaffer adds straw to a broom
Date:
2016-04-04
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Broom and brush industry--Employees, Broom and brush industry, Charleston (W. Va.)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["James Shaffer, b. 1929, of Charleston Broom and Mop, in Loudendale, WV is one of the last commercial broom makers in the state of West Virginia. He began making brooms at the age of 17 and at the time of the interview, still maintained a shop outside of Charleston. See the short video produced in partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting:, James Shaffer, Charleston Broom & Mop Company at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=O3lrgTn2hyM and the interview with Jim, Building a Broom by Feel: Jim Shaffer by Emily Hilliard in Southern Cultures fall 2017, Vol. 23, No. 3: Things at http://www.southerncultures.org/article/building-broom-feel-jim-shaffer/"]%

9. Jim Shaffer's lunch box

Identifier:
4224.ShafferJames.Photo.002.10.17.16
Title:
Jim Shaffer's lunch box
Date:
2016-10-17
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Broom and brush industry, Food habits, Broom and brush industry--Employees, foodways, Charleston (W. Va.)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["James Jim Shaffer, b. 1929, of Charleston Broom and Mop, in Loudendale, WV is one of the last commercial broom makers in the state of West Virginia. He began making brooms at the age of 17 and at the time of the interview, still maintained a shop outside of Charleston. See the short video produced in partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting:, James Shaffer, Charleston Broom & Mop Company at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=O3lrgTn2hyM See the post on the West Virginia Folklife Program blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2017/03/30/building-a-broom-by-feel-an-interview-with-james-shaffer/Read the interview with Jim, Building a Broom by Feel: Jim Shaffer by Emily Hilliard in Southern Cultures fall 2017, Vol. 23, No. 3: Things at http://www.southerncultures.org/article/building-broom-feel-jim-shaffer/"]%

10. Broom maker James Shaffer adds straw to a broom

Identifier:
4224.ShafferJames.Photo.002.4.4.16
Title:
Broom maker James Shaffer adds straw to a broom
Date:
2016-04-04
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Charleston (W. Va.), Broom and brush industry, Broom and brush industry--Employees
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["James Shaffer, b. 1929, of Charleston Broom and Mop, in Loudendale, WV is one of the last commercial broom makers in the state of West Virginia. He began making brooms at the age of 17 and at the time of the interview, still maintained a shop outside of Charleston. See the short video produced in partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting:, James Shaffer, Charleston Broom & Mop Company at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=O3lrgTn2hyM and the interview with Jim, Building a Broom by Feel: Jim Shaffer by Emily Hilliard in Southern Cultures fall 2017, Vol. 23, No. 3: Things at http://www.southerncultures.org/article/building-broom-feel-jim-shaffer/"]%

11. Rolls of broom straw at Charleston Broom and Mop Company

Identifier:
4224.ShafferJames.Photo.003.10.17.16
Title:
Rolls of broom straw at Charleston Broom and Mop Company
Date:
2016-10-17
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Broom and brush industry--Employees, Broom and brush industry, Charleston (W. Va.)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["James Jim Shaffer, b. 1929, of Charleston Broom and Mop, in Loudendale, WV is one of the last commercial broom makers in the state of West Virginia. He began making brooms at the age of 17 and at the time of the interview, still maintained a shop outside of Charleston. See the short video produced in partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting:, James Shaffer, Charleston Broom & Mop Company at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=O3lrgTn2hyM See the post on the West Virginia Folklife Program blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2017/03/30/building-a-broom-by-feel-an-interview-with-james-shaffer/Read the interview with Jim, Building a Broom by Feel: Jim Shaffer by Emily Hilliard in Southern Cultures fall 2017, Vol. 23, No. 3: Things at http://www.southerncultures.org/article/building-broom-feel-jim-shaffer/"]%

12. Old radios in Jim Shaffer's Charleston Broom shop

Identifier:
4224.ShafferJames.Photo.003.4.4.16
Title:
Old radios in Jim Shaffer's Charleston Broom shop
Date:
2016-04-04
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Broom and brush industry, Broom and brush industry--Employees, Charleston (W. Va.)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)