Panelists
2015-2016 Traditional Arts

September 4, 2014
9:00 AM - to conclusion
Teleconference (How to participate)

Chair: Sandy Shaughnessy
Program Manager: Curtis Young

Joey Brackner

Montgomery, Alabama

Manager, Alabama State Council on the Arts' Folklife Program
Director, Alabama Center for Traditional Culture
Manages an apprenticeship grants program supporting master folk artists who are teaching students their art forms
Author of Alabama Folk Pottery (2006) published by the University of Alabama Press
Host of the Alabama Public Television series Journey Proud
B. A., Anthropology, University of Alabama at Birmingham; M. A., Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin

St. Johns County

Director, Florida Storytelling Festival
Past President and Board member, Florida Storytelling Association.
Professional storyteller, focusing on fairy tales, fables, myths, legends, original takes, and classic literature
Selected venues: Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island, Limelight Theater, Florida StoryFest, Florida Folk Festival, Alachua County Storytelling Festival, Ocala Storytelling Festival, Cracker Storytelling Festival, Northeast Florida Library Information Network, Tampa Bay Library Consortium, Panhandle Library Access Network, Southwest Florida Library Information Network, Florida Association for Media in Education, Florida Library Association
B.F.A., Theatre, University of Wisconsin

Polk County

Consultant / Folklorist, Plant City, Florida
Formerly Curator of Education and Programs, Polk County History Center
Formerly the Folklorist and Director of Programs at Tuckerton Seaport
Worked with the Maryland Traditions team as the Folklorist for the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and as a member of the Breene M. Kerr Center for Chesapeake Studies
Served on the Board of Directors for the ‘Stories of the Bay’ Heritage Area and is currently working to revitalize Plant City Main Street.
B.G.S., focus on Historical Archaeology, Virginia Commonwealth University M.A., Folk Studies and Historic Preservation, Western Kentucky University

Jackson, Mississippi

Folk and Traditional Arts Director, Mississippi Arts Commission
Past positions include the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Traditional Arts Indiana, the Kentucky Folklife Program, the Tennessee Folklore Society, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Taught folklife studies and English courses at Middle Tennessee State University and Western Kentucky University
M.A., Public Sector Folk Studies, Western Kentucky University; B.A., Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Indiana University

Palm Beach County

Affiliate Professor, Florida Atlantic University and professional storyteller
Co-founding editor of the academic journal Storytelling, Self, Society
Former Fulbright Senior Specialist in Vienna and Jerusalem
Former chair of the National Storytelling Network
Produces and hosts The Public Storyteller, a weekly segment on public radio
University-trained and experienced oral historian
Numerous publications include the book The Great American Story, and regular column on Jewish storytelling for the South Palm Beach County Jewish Journal

Columbia, South Carolina

South Carolina Folklife and Traditional Arts Program Coordinator, McKissick Museum at University of South Carolina and South Carolina Arts Commission
Co-producer of forthcoming book/CD Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line (Dust to Dust Digital Records)
M.A., Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Indiana University

Chapel Hill, North Carolina