DieDra Hurdle-Ruff Receives John Wesley Work III Award

The 2023 recipient of the John Wesley Work III Award is DieDra Hurdle-Ruff, The Alabama Blues Queen and Executive Director of the Pinson Valley Arts Council.

The AFS African American Folklore Section sponsors the annual John Wesley Work III Award, which honors and spotlights applied folklorists, ethnographers, and ethnomusicologists who actively focus on the research, documentation, recording, and highlighting of African American culture through performance, written word, and music in their scholarly works. The prize is named for John Wesley Work III, a composer, ethnomusicologist, educator, and choral director who was devoted to documenting the progression of Black musical expression.

The award committee said of Hurdle-Ruff, “The recipient checks all boxes when it comes to the eligibility of the award, from demonstration of the traditional expression to documenting and teaching. Hurdle Ruff demonstrates a sustained effort in the preservation, study, or transmission of African American folklife.”

Read DieDra’s feature on Blues Blast Magazine.