Pottery (Pamunkey)
King William, VA

Allyson Gray is a citizen of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe of Virginia and a potter working within one of the oldest continuous ceramic traditions in North America. She continues to use traditional handbuilding methods and tools, meticulously shaping each vessel before finishing it through pitfiring — an ancient method that uses open flame to harden clay and create natural variations of smoke and fire. The process leaves behind rich blacks, soft grays, and earthy tones, making every piece unique and marked directly by the fire itself.

Decoy Carving
Chincoteague, VA

John Arthur Leonard’s family has lived on Chincoteague Island since the 1670s. When he was thirteen, he bought his first decoy, sparking a lifetime of collecting and honing his carving. At seventeen, he began carving with advice from most of the masters on the island and is now a world-champion decoy carver. Arthur is a community leader of Chincoteague — he has served as Mayor, is an island historian, part owner of the Refuge Inn, tour boat  Master Captain, football coach, baseball coach, and devoted father and grandfather. Arthur also helps each year with the Chincoteague Pony Swim. 

Pottery (Mattaponi)
King George, VA

Autumn Morningstar Custalow Alfaro was born and raised on the Mattaponi Reservation in King William County, VA. She has a strong love for her  indigenous culture, community, and artistic expression. From a very young age, thanks to her  grandmother, Autumn has been deeply involved in learning Mattaponi traditions and participating in tribal community events. “Passing along this knowledge to our youth has become a high priority in my life,” explains Autumn. 

Eel Pots (Patawomeck)
Fredericksburg, VA

Brad Hatch is an enrolled citizen of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe, serves as the Chief Judge on the Tribal Council, is a traditional knowledge keeper, and trained archaeologist focused on material culture and historic preservation. He earned his BA in historic preservation from the University of Mary Washington, his MA in anthropology from the College of William and Mary, and his PhD in anthropology from the University of Tennessee. His research focuses on community, identity, and material culture in the Potomac River Valley and he is one of three remaining master makers of the Patawomeck eel pot. Brad is a lifelong resident of White Oak, in Stafford County, Virginia, and, like the majority of his tribal community, lives fewer than 10 miles from the ancestral villages along Potomac Creek.

Appalachian Baskets & Heritage Apples
Page County, VA

Clyde Jenkins grew up in an old homestead in the Shenandoah Mountains in Page County that his family has inhabited for generations. Working the land, he has derived many skills from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries including basket making and heirloom apple growing. For Riverlore, Clyde will be sharing examples of historical Appalachian fish straps, creel baskets, as baskets used to carry oysters. He’ll also be showing his heritage apples. 

Old-Time Music
Meadows of Dan, VA

The Shelors: Dayne and Cassidy Shelor are part of a musical legacy in Meadows of Dan, VA., that began in the 1920’s when Dayne’s great-grandparents, Jesse and Clarice, along with Clarice’s father, Joe Blackard, were recorded for the legendary “Bristol Sessions” by engineer Ralph Peer, as “Dad Blackard’s Moonshiners.”   Since then, the Shelor family has carried the torch of Virginia’s mountain music, and Dayne and Cassidy are the newest torch bearers.

Water Archaeology
White Marsh, VA

The Fairfield Foundation has promoted and involved the public in hands-on archaeology, preservation, and education activities within Virginia’s Middle Peninsula and surrounding areas since 2000. This non-profit operates five properties in Gloucester County: Fairfield Archaeology Park, Timberneck House at Machicomoco, Edge Hill Texaco (the C.A.P.E.), Rosewell Ruins and Visitor Center, and the Walter Reed birthplace. 

African American River Histories
Fluvanna County, VA

Teaching and conducting professionally since 1985, Horace Scruggs is an active musician, conductor, composer, educator, and documentary filmmaker. He performs lecture- concerts that provide in-depth presentations on the history of African-American music and culture. Whether performing as a soloist or with a full band and vocal ensemble, these concerts are both entertaining and informational.  

Chesapeake Bay Crabbing
Tangier, VA

James “Ooker” Eskridge is mayor of Tangier, a small island in the Chesapeake Bay. He is a commercial waterman, his great grandfather, grandfather, and father were crabbers and his oldest son is  a crabber. Mayor Eskridge’s family on his father's side came to Tangier from Fredericksburg during the Civil War, and his mother’s family has roots in Tangier stretching back to the 1700s. 

Environmental Education
Richmond, VA

The mission of the James River Association is to be a guardian of the James River. We provide a voice for the river and take action to promote conservation and responsible stewardship of its natural resources.

We Protect: JRA monitors the river, responds to problems, seeks policy changes, and implements on-the-ground projects to restore the river’s health. We protect through our Watershed Restoration, James Riverkeeper, and River Advocacy programs.

Historical Batteau Boat
Scottsville, VA

James River Batteau Company (JRBC) celebrates Virginia’s river heritage by offering unforgettable journeys on the James. Inspired by the 18th-century batteau that once carried goods along its waters, JRBC brings this historic tradition to life through cruises that connect guests with the river’s beauty, history, and culture.

Based in Scottsville, Virginia, JRBC offers two-hour river and sunset cruises that blend local history with the sharing of food and live music. Our signature Farm-to-Batteau dinners celebrate Virginia’s agricultural richness with meals cooked over open fire, just as boatmen did generations ago.

Honoring the African Spirit in the James River
Richmond, VA

No matter your age or background, the spirit and the openness of the Elegba Folklore Society will enchant you. In a way that perhaps you will expect or in a way that is totally spontaneous, your energy will blend beautifully with ours, closing the gap between performer and audience.  Participants find themselves swept up in a universal cultural energy that links them with the global significance of this timeless art form.
For Riverlore, Omilade Janine Bell, founder, president and artistic director of Richmond’s Elebga Folklore Society will lead “Honoring the African Spirit in the James River:” 

Traditional Appalachian Dance
Boone, NC

Julie Shepherd-Powell is an associate professor and graduate program director of Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University. Trained as an anthropologist, Julie’s research interests include community-based activism around coal extraction and natural gas pipeline development in Appalachia. Julie is also an accomplished traditional Appalachian musician and dancer. She has won numerous awards for her flatfoot dancing and clawhammer banjo playing, and she calls square dances across North America — from Vancouver, BC to New York City. Julie’s creative and scholarly endeavors collide in her research about, and embodied practice of, the diverse roots of Appalachian mountain music and dance and their contemporary forms.

Filmmaker & Riverlore Co-Curator
Richmond, VA

Justin Black is a filmmaker, songwriter and whitewater raft guide who works and lives on the James River. He studied Studio Art at the University of Virginia, which kicked off a lifelong journey of finding the connections between music, photography and storytelling. In his debut films, Headwaters Down and Tidal River, Black paddled the entire 350 miles of the James River with his friends and collaborators creating two documentaries now available via PBS. Black found that his true ambition is to create and share stories that capture the beauty of Virginia and the American South, but which also recognize the complex historical and environmental transgressions that occurred on this land.

Scholar & Musician
Carroll County, VA

Malcolm Smith is a genuine Blue Ridge character. As an author, storyteller, musician and folklorist in the Appalachians of Virginia, Malcolm has affectionately been given the moniker “Uncle Malc” by his neighbors and friends in Carroll County. A recovering college professor Malcolm has written countless articles about the music and musicians of the Blue Ridge, and his second book about old time music, It’s Always Been About the Party: Old Time Music in the Blue Ridge is soon to be published by McFarland Press. Malcolm is known for his ongoing chronicles of past and present musicians and the music that is indigenous to his beloved mountains.

Fly Fishing
Richmond, VA

Richmond Fly Women is a community for women anglers of all skill levels who just love to fish. Established April 2025, our mission is to see more women on the water, solo and together. We offer a safe space where women can find partners for adventures, share beta on local fishing spots, talk or share gear, and connect over their love for fly fishing and the outdoors. Join us for social and active meet ups where we fish, tie flies, and learn from one another.

Master Storyteller
Hampton, VA

Sheila Arnold has been telling stories for an audience since she was eight years old. As a fulltime storyteller, she travels throughout the United States telling tales and performing historic characters. Sheila is also an historical consultant for museums, historical societies and organizations. One of Sheila's greatest joys is being the Community Engagement Officer, Co-Founder and previous Artistic Director of Artists Standing Strong Together (ASST), which formed during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, and continues to be a source of inspiration, strength and action in the storytelling and artists world. Ms. Sheila is also a Co-Founder of Everybody’s Got a Story, a storytelling arts nonprofit organization in Hampton, VA, with the mission of using stories to encourage community conversations and thereby bring down walls and building bridges. Sheila has been honored as a 2025 Monticello Research Fellow, 2021 MacDowell Artist Fellow and a 2020 Mt. Vernon Research Fellow.  

Filmmaker
Boone, NC

Tom Hansell is a filmmaker, author, and educator whose work focuses on rural communities in southern Appalachia.  His documentary work has screened at the Museum of Modern Art and has been included in the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. Hansell’s experimental films have been included in the Ann Arbor Film Festival’s touring program and screened at Big Ears. He is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Headlands Center for the Arts, the Chorus Foundation, and North Carolina Arts Council. He began his career at the Appalshop media arts center, and he currently teaches at Appalachian State University. 

Traditional Appalachian Music
Ashe County, NC

Trevor McKenzie is a musician and Appalachian scholar living in Ashe County, North Carolina. He plays traditional music from along the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, both as a solo artist and with regional string bands. He has performed and taught at festivals and music gatherings across the United States, Canada, and Europe. McKenzie serves as the Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University, a public-facing research Center founded in 1978 to illuminate and sustain the region's rich history, cultures, communities, and ecology. 

Native Plants
Hanover, VA 

Seed Pocket Nursery is a native plant nursery started by two friends with a shared passion for plants! We're based on a small plot of land in Hanover, Virginia. Our nursery prioritizes sustainability and relationship with plants and land by implementing a gardening approach to nurserywork and plant propagation. In addition to providing healthy and accessible native plants, an intention of our nursery is to serve as a container of learning for us and our community.