State to honor 2004 Folk Heritage Award winners April 21

The South Carolina Legislature will present the 2004 Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards to five folk artists at a noon ceremony April 21 in the House chamber. USC's McKissick Museum administers the award program along with the S.C. Arts Commission. Recipients for 2004 include Ted Brackett, a fiddler from Inman; Willie Dereef, a boatbuilder from Pawley's Island; Evelyn George, a Catawba potter from Rock Hill; and Gale McKinley, a split-oak basketmaker from Anderson. Larry Klein, an advocate of bluegrass music from Columbia, will receive the 2004 Folk Heritage Advocacy Award. After the presentation, a reception for the award recipients will be held at McKissick Museum. The awards were established by the Legislature in 1987 to recognize outstanding practitioners of traditional arts that have been passed down through generations of South Carolinians. The awards are named for the late Jean Laney Harris, an advocate for preserving the state's cultural heritage and a member of the House of Representatives who co-chaired the Join Legislative Committee on Cultural Affairs. The 2004 Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award Winners are: Ted Brackett, a master traditional fiddler from Inman, grew up in a musical family and, along with his two brothers, was playing at house parties and barn dances by the time he was 12. His younger brother, Leonard, used to accompany him on banjo, using an old-time two-finger style technique to Ted's simplistic fiddle style. They played together regularly until the early 1990s. Brackett's playing style was borrowed from his uncle and by Georgia fiddler, Fiddlin' John Caron. Willie Dereef, a master traditional boatbuilder, was born and reared on Pawley's Island. He estimates that, since his childhood, he has built 80 boats, most of which are the flat-bottom shad fish or river boats popular in Georgetown County. He is the last known boatbuilder in Georgetown County. He is committed to ensuring that the tradition is passed to younger generations and is teaching his grandson how to build boats. Evelyn George, a master Catawba potter Evelyn George's Catawba pottery from Rock Hill, was designated as a master potter of Catawba pottery by the Catawba Indian Nation. She learned the art of Catawba pottery from an elder when she was a child. In addition to working on all aspects of cultural life on the Catawba Indian Reservation, George is a pottery instructor at the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project and has been the dance coordinator for the Catawba youth dance group. Larry Klein, an advocate for bluegrass music from Columbia, has been the host for the S.C. Educational Radio Program, "The Bluegrass Sound," since 1989. Working with the show's creator and producer, Clarence Dreher, Klein has faithfully compiled hour-long radio programs that are broadcast across the state on the S.C. Educational Radio Network. He uses "The Bluegrass Sound" not only to highlight the latest in bluegrass music but also as an educational tool. In addition to hosting "The Bluegrass Sound," Klein is the director of Columbia Dermatopathy and is a member of the International Bluegrass Music Association. He is a past president and a member of the board of directors of the South Carolina Bluegrass and Traditional Music Association and plays dobro with Bill Wells and the Blue Ridge Mountain Grass of West Columbia. Gale McKinley, a master split-oak basketmaker from Anderson, is a fourth-generation split-oak basketmaker. She notes that before the modern era, split-oak baskets were essential tools in everyday life for the majority of South Carolina families living in rural settings. Today, there are very few individuals practicing this tradition. However, her dedication to the craft is strong, and she has even taught her son this rare art. Her baskets can be seen in several museum collections around the state, including McKissick Museum, the Horry County Museum, and the Pickens County Museum. 4/04