Understanding Folk and Cultural Traditions in Our Time, a two-day virtual workshop, will be hosted by the University of Central Florida’s College of Arts and Humanities on February 18 and 19, 2022. The virtual gathering is one of 16 projects awarded “Greater Good: Humanities in Academia Grants” from the Florida Humanities and will feature scholars and folk culture experts from across the state. The presentations will explore how folklore and cultural traditions contribute to our understanding of what it means to be a Floridian and how the state is a reflection of our collective folk heritages. 

Free to the public, this groundbreaking event features nationally and internationally acclaimed scholars and artists, including African American music specialist Dr. Portia K. Maultsby, Woodrow Wilson International Fellow Dr. Emily Wilcox, Florida Folk Heritage Awardees David Peñaflor and Marilia Carrasquillo, Timucua Arts Foundation artist Surabhi Adesh, International Committee of Museums of Ethnography Past President Dr. Annette B. Fromm, and Contemporary Mexican Indigenous Poetry Specialist Dr. Dr. Osiris Aníbal Gómez. Most importantly, this event also provides students and the general public opportunities to share their research and/or cultural experiences through themed breakout sessions.