Digital Traditions

General - Traditional Arts

Home to a wealth of folk traditions, South Carolina is culturally and geographically diverse.  From the Appalachian Mountains to the Sea Islands and from rural crossroads to urban centers, the state boasts rich sources of traditional culture and folklore. Rooted in family and community activities, folklife involves expressive forms of many kinds that are communicated verbally and by observation or imitation.  Folk artists can learn through apprenticeships, but most often are taught informally by family members or close friends. This sharing of information can occur in many different group settings - familial, occupational, religious, social, and educational. Folklife is dynamic by nature, a part of a community's history that continues to develop every day, with every generation.  

Digital Traditions was developed to provide access to the Folklife Resource Center (FRC) at McKissick Museum.  For thirty years, deeply rooted traditions like quilting, pottery, basketry, communal foodways, and folk music have been documented through audio, video, and photography. For further information about any of the artists featured on Digital Traditions, send your questions and comments to hallagan@mailbox.sc.edu.

Nellie Mursier
Episode 3

Audio

Quilter from McCormick, SC (McCormick County). Mursier's favorite pattern is a string square she named "String Albert." Mursier pays special attention to the size of the stitching in her quilts, so...
Norman & Oscar Smith Photos | Digital Traditions
Norman & Oscar Smith Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 3

Photo

Norman Smith began working in the family pottery in 1920 and opened his own shop in 1932 a few miles away. Arguably one of the most traditional of southern potters still practicing in 1981, he used a...
Sara Ayers: Tools | Digital Traditions
Episode 3

Audio

Ayers tells Cinda Baldwin about the tools she uses to make pottery. Sara Ayers was a highly accomplished Catawba potter who exemplified the major artistic tradition of South Carolina's earliest...