Old-fashioned rice threshing at the 1980 Rice Festival. Part of the documentation in Arkansas's Local Legacies projects.

Arkansas

The collections of the American Folklife Center contain rich and varied materials from Arkansas that document the diversity of the state's folk traditions. Among its unique recordings are Vance Randolph's vast and pioneering collection of songs and folklore from the Ozark region; traditional tunes performed by the "Ozark Mountaineers"; African American spirituals; fiddle tunes; music and narratives of African American prisoners in state prison farms in Little Rock and Gould; and storytelling.

Collections

Finding Aid: View a complete list of our Arkansas collections.

Local Legacies Collection: This project provides a "snapshot" of local culture as it was expressed in the year 2000. View a list of Arkansas's Local Legacies projects.

Veterans History Project: Browse state collections from the Veterans History Project.

Concert Webcast

Sonny Burgess and the Pacers. Rockabilly music from Arkansas. Recorded at the Library of Congress, October 18, 2006. [webcast and flyer] [catalog record]

Additional Resources

Folklife Resources: Find state folklife-related agencies, societies, archives, higher education programs, and more, in Folklife Sourcebook: A Directory of Folklife Resources in the United States.