Julie Hinson, Feminist Folk Pottery and Community Craft in Durham
When potter Julie Hinson is in her studio, her bright green garage door is pulled open and string lights dangle from the ceiling, their ends just barely brushing the top of the clay dust-covered floor. Her studio is part of Outer Loop Arts, a maker and retail space that she co-founded in Durham’s Golden Belt […]
Custom Furniture Maker Evan Berding on Tradition and Exploration
For custom furniture maker Evan Berding, dogma is the most dangerous thing in the world. His clients—who sit on a year-long wait list in order to fill their homes with Evan’s classically inspired yet remarkably original pieces—seem to agree. Evan’s design sensibility reflects rigorous discipline and a deep curiosity that make his ever-evolving work simultaneously […]
2025 at the North Carolina Folklife Institute: Stories, Partnerships, and the Work Ahead
As 2025 comes to a close, the North Carolina Folklife Institute reflects on a year shaped by collaboration, listening, and deep engagement with communities across the state. Our work this year centered the people who carry cultural knowledge forward – artists, tradition bearers, apprentices, and public servants – and the partnerships that make this work […]
NC Folklife Institute Announces 2025 In These Mountains NC Folklife Apprenticeship Awardees
$10,000 Awards Support Apprenticeship Pairs in NC’s Mountain Communities to Preserve Traditional Arts DURHAM, N.C. (November 19, 2025) — The North Carolina Folklife Institute is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 In These Mountains NC Folklife Apprenticeship Awards, a program supporting the continuation of traditional arts and cultural practices across North Carolina’s Appalachian […]
Applications Open for the 2025 North Carolina Folklife Apprenticeships Program
$10,000 Grants Support Mentor-Apprentice Pairs in NC’s Mountain Communities to Preserve Traditional Arts DURHAM, N.C. (July 15, 2025) – The North Carolina Folklife Institute is excited to announce the opening of the 2025 North Carolina Appalachian Folklife Apprenticeship Program. This program supports year-long, community-based mentorships in the folk and traditional arts of western North Carolina. […]