Alabama Folklife Association Names Seven Cauthen Fellows

The Alabama Folklife Association (AFA) awarded six Cauthen Fellowships to seven individuals to produce original research and writing on Alabama folk traditions. Reflecting the diversity of Alabama folklife, the projects represent a range of cultures and art forms, and will add new depth and knowledge to the field of folklife and traditional arts. 

The 2022 Cauthen Fellows and projects are:  

• Dr. Zanice Bond, Tuskegee University, Memory, Memorial, and Bereavement Quilts  
• Sarah Bryan and Hal Pugh, North Carolina Folklife Institute and New Salem Pottery, Alabama Pottery Traditions  
• Dr. Daniel Levine, University of Alabama, Jewish Communal Memory Practices in Rural Alabama  
• Burgin Mathews, The Lost Child radio show, The Fiddles of Earnest Mostella  
• Stefani Priskos, John C. Campbell Folk School, Sacred Harp Memorial Lessons  
• Justin Rudder, Alabama Department of Archives and History, Black Towns of Alabama 

Each research fellowship will culminate in a written article for TRIBUTARIES, the annual journal of the AFA. The projects are also poised to contribute to archives, book projects, and multimedia exhibits.

Named for Joyce H. Cauthen, first Executive Director of the AFA, the Fellowships were established in 2010 to honor her contributions to Alabama folklife by supporting fieldwork on Alabama traditional music and other folkways. Past Cauthen Fellowships supported research on bare-earth cemeteries, wart healing, community quilt documentation, and occupational folklife.
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