Bau’s Blaug
The latest news from “the Big Cheese” – Executive Director Bau Graves.
Thanksgiving and Bess Lomax Hawes
Let us pause in the holiday rush and recall with gratitude the life and work of Bess Lomax Hawes, who passed away the day after Thanksgiving at age 88. Singer, educator, folklorist, organizer, Bess was the founding director of the NEA’s Traditional Arts Program, created the National Heritage Fellowships which continue to honor the heroes of America’s homegrown culture, and inspired the creation of Old Town School of Folk Music.
Bess was born into one of America’s first families of folk culture. The daughter of John Lomax and sister of Alan Lomax, as a teenager she formed the Almanac Singers with Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and others. In the nascent years of the Folk Revival, Bess pioneered a new method for teaching guitar to groups of students. “Students learning guitar individually can get intimidated because they can hear their own mistakes,” she explained. “In a group, the students feel bolder about playing, take more risks, enjoy it more, and feel part of something bigger, which sounds better, anyway.”
One of the pickers she inspired was a young singer named Frank Hamilton, who a few years later joined Win Stracke to create a school in Chicago for teaching folk songs. Win and Frank borrowed Bess’ teaching methods, which form the backbone of Old Town School’s appeal to this day. “She introduced me to traditional folk music like no other did and I owe my teaching skills to her,” writes Frank. “No Bess – no Old Town School of Folk Music.”
Bess Lomax Hawes went on to champion traditional culture and progressive causes throughout her exceptionally productive life. Her musical progeny include entire generations of players, many of whom probably don’t know her name but continue to benefit from her contributions to the great river of song. “There was a time,” Theodore Bikel once said, “when folk music lit a fire in our souls.” Bess Hawes was among those who held the match. We all bask in the reflected glow.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | November 30, 2009 | Comments (2)
A New Framework for the Arts
Back in May, I was privileged to represent Old Town School at a meeting at the White House concerning artists and the national recovery. It was an unprecedented event, at which a group of community cultural activists were invited to offer our insights into the importance of the arts to our troubled times. Most of us hoped that the Obama administration would propose some bold new steps in support of the arts; instead, the government’s team turned to us for answers, asking us, “What do YOU recommend?”
Six months later, our group of musicians, dancers, writers, media artists and community organizers has issued a call to arms. After a vigorous debate, with a lot of editing, double-checking and re-writing, “Art and the Public Purpose: A New Framework” offers a clear statement of values and proceeds to outline five broad areas of action that we believe can usher in a new flowering of American democratic culture.
The preamble begins: America needs a bold new investment in culture, a policy recognizing that culture holds the key to a future we can believe in. This Framework calls on Congress and the Obama Administration to support art’s public purpose to mend our social fabric, promote freedom of expression and a vibrant, inclusive national dialogue, and revitalize both education and commerce with the creativity that has always been the wellspring of our energy and success… It goes on to offer specific recommendations regarding the development of a new national cultural policy; the importance equitable resource allocation; the prospect of recognizing and protecting cultural assets the same way we protect the natural environment; the creation of a “new WPA” for the arts; and the democratization of the media.
To read the entire Framework, go to www.newculturalpolicy.org. The website offers several opportunities for engagement, inviting you to endorse the Framework, contribute your own stories about the importance of the arts in your life and community, and suggestions for how to bring this cluster of proposals to the attention of our public servants. I encourage you to visit the website and pass this vital message along to your friends, families and governmental representatives. It is time for our country to embrace a public culture worthy of our great nation.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | November 5, 2009 | Comments (1)
