Contact: Dr. Lisa Abney (abney@nsula.edu)
Louisiana Folklife Center
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-4332
http://www.nsula.edu/news

7/6/2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES ­ A group of traditional culture artists has been selected for induction into Louisiana Folklife Center's Hall of Master Folk Artists. This year's honorees include Geraldine Robertson, Bill Bryant, Fisher Snell, Hardrick Rivers, and the Harris family. The inductees will be honored during the 22nd annual Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival on July 21. They were selected by the Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival Steering Committee. This year's group of inductees is involved in the dissemination and practice of many folk traditions.

For the past 50 years, Geraldine Robertson has made "chairs, mats, dolls and just about anything else you can think of," she said. "My mother taught me to weave with corn shucks when I was a girl and I just kept doing it."

Born and raised in the St. Landry Parish town of Washington, Robertson focuses her attention on constructing corn shuck dolls.

"People seem to like them," she said. "And I enjoy making them."

Robertson has continued her mother's art and has passed it along to her five daughters.

"All of them know the trade," she said. "I've even taught my grandchildren."

"The trade" has taken her across the South, where she sells her wares at regional festivals. She has even been to Europe as part of a cultural exchange program.

As coordinator of the visual arts program at Northwestern, Bill Bryant is widely recognized for his work on canvas and paper, but he has become well known for his musical talents also. The popular Back Porch Band, of which he is a member, blends traditional folk and Celtic elements to create the band's distinctive sound. The band is recording its first album, "On the Back Porch, 1," which is scheduled to be released later this year.

Bryant plays several instruments but specializes in the dulcimer. He has delivered talks and demonstrations to dulcimer societies throughout Louisiana and Texas. He has been involved with the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival from its inception in 1980 and has been with Northwestern for 25 years. Bryant became interested in the dulcimer and learned to play it proficiently by watching and listening to dulcimer musicians over the bast three decades.

Wood and cowhides are two things north Louisiana has in abundance, and Fisher "Bo" Snell knows how to make the most of them. Snell, who was born in the small town of Barham, constructs stools and rocking chairs from local wood with seats made of steer
hide. His tools are simple, consisting of a utility knife, sandpaper and a pattern lathe. He buys preserved hides from a local butcher and prepares them to be used on the chairs. Chairmaking is a tradition passed down to Snell from his uncle, who was a cattleman. Today, Snell is passing his craft along to his great-grandchildren. Snell and his wife, Robbie, share a common interest in folklore and local history.

Rivers began playing music early in his life. At age 13, Hardrick began to study under and play with one of the masters of Louisiana music, Overton Owens-sometimes called Dr. Drip Drop. Hardrick quickly joined Overton's new group, Overton Owens and the Mustangs, which was formed during the late 1960s. Hardrick worked hard in those early years to find his unique sound on the saxophone, and he has clearly succeeded.

Eventually, he formed his own group, the Lighthouse Crew which he left in 1992. In 1994, he formed a new group, Rivers' Revue Band. In 1996, a group of musicians decided to have a monthly jam session at Roque's Grocery in Natchitoches; Overton Owens joined many of these sessions. From these jam sessions, grew the current Roque's Blues Band. Presently, Hardrick plays with both Roque's Blues Band and Rivers' Revue Band.

For four generations, the Harris family has made quality white oak baskets. Gilbert Harris continues the tradition by teaching his children the skill and by demonstrating his talents at festivals. Finding, chopping, and splitting the white oak takes a practiced eye. Harris makes a variety of baskets, including large ones similar to the
cotton baskets of years gone by. He even incorporates new designs and color into traditional baskets.

Each inductee will be honored with a permanent display located in Room 213 of Kyser Hall on the campus of Northwestern State University.

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