Creative Industry Summit Series: New Generations of Storytellers
The Kentucky Arts Council presents a free webinar, New Generations of Storytellers, on May 14 from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern. Meet Appalachian storytellers Hasan Davis and Mitch Barrett, both of Madison County, Ky. Hasan and Mitch are mentor artists participating in the arts council’s Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program. This year, they are teaching storytelling traditions to their apprentices – Hasan’s son Malcolm Davis and Mitch’s daughter Maizie Gover-Barrett.
These apprenticeships are made possible by South Arts’ In These Mountains program, which preserves and perpetuates traditional arts and culture of Central Appalachia. Listen and learn about the past, present and future of the amazing folk stories told and reimagined within these two family traditions.
Hasan Davis first learned to tell stories from his mother, Alice Lovelace, and father, Charles Jikki Riley. With degrees in oral communications, theatre and law, Davis has both formal and informal training in oral tradition. He has collected stories of African American people and woven them together to share in a blend of theater and storytelling. One of the stories Davis performs is that of York, “who was enslaved to William Clark and the only person of African descent to participate in the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition.”
Mitch Barrett is a celebrated singer, songwriter and storyteller from Berea, Ky. Drawing on a history of Appalachian tales and personal experiences, Mitch engages audiences young and old with his eclectic mix of myth, tall tales and folklore. His storytelling resonates with humor and poignancy. His performances often include Jack tales, tunes on the dulcimer and guitar, and reflections on his life and the traditions of his mountain home.
