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Storytelling Festival June 2-3 at Historical Museum
Storytelling has been an art and science for thousands of years. It is the way we have preserved history, passed on values and laughed at ourselves. Come to the State Historical Museum June 2-3 for Des Moines’ first River Voices Storytelling Festival.
The
festival will begin Friday, June 2, with a Ghosting concert at 7 p.m., featuring
spooky tales by local elementary principal and storyteller Eugene Fracek,
whose stories reflect his Native American heritage. Tickets for the event
is $5 per person.
Saturday, June 3, is chock full of workshops, a family concert, children’s activities, open mic session and olio performances. Nationally renowned storyteller Dr. Rex Ellis will lead several workshops and perform at a special Grand Concert fundraiser at Terrace Hill Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Grand Concert are $50 and include a wine and cheese reception with Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack.
In addition to being a storyteller, Ellis is also a teacher, historian and vice president of the Historic Area at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. He believes storytelling is an excellent way to teach sensitive cultural subjects in the home and community to break down artificial social barriers.
“I have seen bridges built with storytelling that invite listeners and tellers to unite in ways that are more potent than a town meeting and more healing than a therapy session,” Ellis says. “It’s pretty hard to hate someone whose story you know.”
The storytelling festival also features regional storytellers. Rita Paskowitz is a storyteller who has delighted audiences across the country. She works as an artist-in-residence in schools and communities and in the Nebraska Touring Program for the Nebraska Arts Council.
Darren Raleigh is a storyteller and emergency medical services helicopter pilot in the Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas region. He has made a living as a street harper and prefers the folklore and music of the Celtic nations, though he will tell any story that makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
Judith Simundson of Dubuque threads her folk tales with songs in the Old Norwegian style, called kveding. Her tales are told in English with Norwegian charm. She has toured throughout the Midwest and regularly returns to Norway. She is on the Roster of Artists in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri.
Individual workshops cost $15 per person. Purchase a festival package for
$50, which includes choice of all workshops, family concert and children’s
activities. Prices vary for all activities. For more information or to register,
contact Maureen Korte at Maureen.Korte@iowa.gov
or (515) 281-4132.
