Mountain Made Appalachian Folk Festival brings music, crafts, storytelling to ETSU campus

Amythyst Kiah, music headliner for the festival, is a Grammy nominated artist and ETSU Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music alum. Click the photo to see a gallery of pictures from the event. (Photos by ETSU photography staff)

On April 7, East Tennessee State University’s campus was buzzing with showcases of local culture and traditions. Mountain Made, an Appalachian folk festival hosted by the ETSU SGA, Department of Appalachian Studies, and Buctainment, ETSU’s student life organization. The event is a callback to the ETSU campus culture of the 1960s and ’70s, when folk festivals were held on campus every year. Students, faculty, and visitors could find activities and performances throughout campus highlighting the diversity and richness of Appalachian culture. The Reece Museum hosted a series of events, including a lecture by Appalachian Studies MA student Craig Charles, a storytelling workshop by festival headliner Adam Booth, and a spoken word performance.

Booth, the 2022 West Virginia Governor's Arts Awards Folk Artist of the Year, headlined along with Amythyst Kiah, a Grammy-nominated artist and ETSU Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music alum. Also on the Big Tent stage were square dance bands, the ETSU Pride Band, as well as honky-tonk and old-time musicians.

Click the photo above to see a gallery of pictures from the festival.