Don’t believe it? Come to the annual Maryland Traditions ALTA Awards Ceremony and Concert on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center for a glimpse of the extraordinary in the everyday.
The event will recognize the three 2011 ALTA (Achievement in Living Tradition and Arts) Award winners, including a Maryland gospel tradition (Singing and Praying Bands) that stretches back over two centuries; the lifelike carvings of Eastern Shore decoy maker Rich Smoker; and the oldest duckpin bowling alley in the world, Patterson Bowling Center & Duckpin Lanes. And for good measure, there will also be performances from two Marylanders – godfather of go-go Chuck Brown and Piedmont bluesman Warner Williams – who have been recognized as National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest federal honor given to traditional artists in the United States. Chuck Brown makes a special appearance with blues harmonica master Phil Wiggins of Takoma Park, highlighting the blues foundation of Go-Go (a style Brown is credited as inventing in metro Washington in the 1970s).
The ALTA Award was created by Maryland Traditions in 2007 to recognize outstanding stewardship of Maryland’s living traditions. Each year, three awards are made in the categories of people, place and tradition. Recipients are selected based on their demonstration of the highest standards . Places honored are those that specially serve to keep traditions alive and traditions recognized are those that connect communities to cultural heritage in ways that exemplify Maryland’s dynamic.
This event is free and will do wonders to restore your faith in the idea that folklife – the expressive culture of everyday life in Maryland – is alive and well, and with no small debt owed to those individuals and communities recognized by the ALTA Award. For more information, visit www.marylandtraditions.org/events.
Clifford Murphy, Ph.D. is the director of Maryland Traditions and Program Director for Folk and Traditional Arts for the Maryland State Arts Council.
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