The Child Ballads Show

2011-11-24T15:49:00.000-08:00

Learn how to tune your banjo to play these great old songs from Child Ballads
participant Art Rosenbaum.

2011-05-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Check out the Rotating History Blog to follow our other projects.

2011-03-02T16:24:00.000-08:00

Photos of the Child Ballads Show Brooklyn from Uniondoc's flickr photostream.

2011-02-14T16:01:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all of those who attended the Child Ballads Show in Brooklyn and making it a great success! More images to come.

2011-01-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

THE CHILD BALLADS: A Two Night Event of Art, Music, and Film

Thursday, February 10^th and Friday, February 11th

322 Union Avenue Brooklyn NY 11211

Come join the artists and performers for this traveling exhibition, organized by The Rotating History Project (Baltimore based artists Teddy Johnson and Heather Rounds), when it makes its way to Brooklyn on February 10 and 11, 2011. The two-day event will feature painting interpretations of Francis J Child’s English and Scottish Popular Ballads by 13 artists from around the country, screenings of several theme-related documentary films by directors Neil Rosenbaum and John Cohen, and live musical performances of ballads and traditional music by John Cohen and Art Rosenbaum with the Around the Globe Chantey Singers.

Art receptions are free
9-20 dollar suggested donation for music and film

EVENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, February 10th
6pm-7:30pm— Art reception
8:00 pm-8:45pm— Music performance by Art Rosenbaum with the Around the Globe Chantey Singers
9:00 pm— Screening of "Sing My Troubles By," Directed by Neil Rosenbaum, Co-produced by Art Rosenbaum and Lance Leadbetter (followed by Q&A with Art Rosenbaum)

Friday, February 11th
6pm-7:30pm— Art reception
7:30-8:30— Music Performance by Art Rosenbaum and John Cohen
8:45— Screenings of 3 films, directed by John Cohen:
"The End of an Old Song", "Gypsies Sing Long Ballads", and "The Ballad and the Source" (followed by Q&A with John Cohen)

FEATURED PAINTERS

Jovan Erfan
Annie Ewaskio
Eberhard Froehlich
Jeremy Hughes
Ryan Jedlicka
Teddy Johnson
Bart Lynch
Ty Lytton
Ben Mckee
Elias Necol Melad
Shaun Preston
Art Rosenbaum
Rachel Wolfson

ABOUT THE SHOW

American scholar Francis James Child collected the Child Ballads, a collection of 305 distinct ballads from England and Scotland and their American variants, in the late nineteenth century. Dealing with such ageless themes as morality, murder, romance, supernatural experiences, historical events, riddles, and folk heroes, Child’s compiled ballads continue to survive through oral traditions, are still sung today in both America and Europe, and have become part of the core of traditional Appalachian music. The Child Ballad Show is an exploration and continuation of these beautiful and strange old songs through the mediums of painting, music, and film.
10$ Companion Book/Show Catalog available at the event.

ABOUT THE FILMS

“Sing My Troubles By.” (2010)
Directed by Neil Rosenbaum
USA, Running time: 93 min.
A portrait of living older Georgia women who treasure and continue to perform the gospel, blues, mountain music and ballad traditions they grew up with.

“The End of an Old Song” (1973)
Directed by John Cohen
USA, Running time: 26 min., B&W
Filmed in the mountains of North Carolina, this acclaimed documentary revisits the region where English folklorist Cecil Sharp collected British ballads in the early 1900s. The film contrasts the nature of the ballad singers with the presence of the jukebox.

“Gypsies Sing Long Ballads” (1982)
Directed by John Cohen
USA, film location: Scotland and UK, Running time: 30 min.
Scotland's Gypsies have lived outside mainstream society for more than 500 years. Although some still live by the sides of roads, most live today in houses and are under pressure to abandon their culture. This film celebrates their traditional music, especially the long unaccompanied British ballads.

“The Ballad and the Source” (1983)
Directed by John Cohen
USA, film location: England and UK, Running time: 16 min., color
The tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing is very old and still cherished in Great Britain, though only a few traditional singers are still alive. This sensitive musical portrait profiles the life and art of Walter Pardon, perhaps the finest living traditional English ballad singer of his time.

FILM BIOS

Neil Rosenbaum is a videographer-filmmaker based in the Missouri Ozarks, having studied at the American University in Washington, D.C., and having worked there in video editing and production for The Learning Channel. Neil's father, Art Rosenbaum, is co-producer, with Lance Ledbetter of Dust-to-Digital, Atlanta. Art is an artist and folklorist, Wheatley Professor in the Arts Emeritus at the University of Georgia. He has collected and performed traditional American folk music for over 50 years and among his credits are two hard-cover books on Georgia folk music, two instruction books on traditional banjo playing, and 20 LPs, CDs, and video documentaries of his field collections. "Art of Field Recording: 50 Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum Vol. I, on the Dust-to-Digital label, won a Grammy for Best Historical Album in 2007, as well as a nomination for Best Album Notes.
John Cohen is a Photographer, Film-maker, and noted collector and performer of old time American music; founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers. John Cohen's body of work has been recognized in a wide range of fields: his photographs are in major museum collections and publications, his award winning films have been shown on PBS and BBC and at festivals worldwide. The sound recordings of the New Lost City Ramblers have received several Grammy nominations, and, along with his field recordings, have influenced many musicians - including Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Ry Cooder - and shaped the old time music revival.

2010-11-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

Baltimore Weekly: Child Ballads Closing Reception - GSpot: Audio/Visual Playground

The Child Ballad Show Closing at The G-Spot

2010-10-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

The Closing of The Child Ballad Show at the G-Spot Audio Visual Playground (2980 Falls Road Baltimore MD,21212) will be on Saturday November 13, 2010 7-9PM Come celebrate with us before the art comes down.

2010-10-10T23:21:00.000-07:00

Teddy Johnson
Child #4 Lady Isabel and The Elfin Knight: False Sir John, 1776
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 1

Elias Necol Melad
Child #10 The Twa Sisters: The Bow and the Balance, circa 1656
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 1
Ryan Jedlicka
Child #12 Edward, as sung by Jean Ritchie, British Traditional Ballads
in the Southern Mountains. Child Ballads vol. 2, 1961

Shaun Preston
Child #22 Saint Stephen and Herod, 1856
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 1

Jeremy Hughs
Child #26 The Three Ravens: Twa Corbies, 1803 The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 1

The Paintings Part 2

2010-10-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

Eberhard Froehlich
Child #53 Lord Beichan: The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman, 1839 The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 1

Art Rosenbaum
Child #81 Lord Daniel, as Sung by Mary Lomax Art of Field Recording, 2007

Rachel Wolfson
Child #68 Young Hunting Henry Lee, 1802, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 2

Jovan Erfan
Child #77 Sweet William’s Ghost, circa 1740, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 2

The Paintings Part 1

2010-10-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Bart Lynch
Child #90 Jellon Grame, 1802
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 2

Annie Ewaskio
Child #200 Black Jack Davy: Gypsy Laddie Version, as sung by the White Stripes
Seven Nation Army album, 2003
Ben Mckee
Child #209 Geordie, as sung by
Sandy Denny, home demo release, 1967

Ty Lytton
Child #278 The Farmer’s Curst Wife, 1892
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, vol. 5

What Weekly Article

2010-09-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Child Ballads at The G Spot
Article and Photos by Phil Laubner for What Weekly.

September 11, 2010 Opening

2010-09-15T17:42:00.001-07:00

Some images of the opening.
Photos by Jeremy Hughes and Tonya Smith.

Thanks!

2010-09-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in and attended The Child Ballads
show! The artwork will be on view by appointment through Oct. 11. Feel free to contact teddyschool@hotmail.com or heatherrounds@gmail.com to set up a viewing. Images of the show will be posted here later this week.

2010-09-06T11:04:00.001-07:00

Check Child Ballad Show performers, Walker and Jay this Friday September 10 on 88.1 WYPR's The Signal! They will be both talking about and playing Child Ballads! 12:00 AM and 7PM.

Advance Press:

2010-08-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Local artist and curator René Treviño was nice enough to mention The Child Ballad Show to Urbanite as one of the exhibits he is most excited about for fall 2010. Check out the article here.

2010-06-18T10:31:00.001-07:00

The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 distinct ballads from England and Scotland and their American variants, all of which were collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century. The Ballads compiled by Child consists of songs which have survived through oral traditions for several hundred years, some of which continue to be sung today. These songs deal with morality, murder, romance, supernatural experiences, historical events, riddles, and folk heroes. More than just a collection of songs in an old dusty book, these songs found their way across the Atlantic to become part of the core of traditional Appalachian music. They continue to be sung today in both America and Europe. The Child Ballad Show is an exploration and continuation of these beautiful and strange old songs.

The artists featured in this forthcoming show have each chosen a different ballad from the 305 for interpretation. Much like the singers through the ages, who have brought their own voice, inflection, and life experience to the Child Ballads, these artists have their own diverse approaches to narrative in their painting. The artists represent 6 different states, including Maryland, Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Indiana.

The art opening will be followed by a musical performance of the ballads by Baltimore's own old time and country favorites Walker and Jay, Brooklyn's haunting H. Honne Welles, and Grammy Award winning collector of traditional music, Georgia music icon, and banjo wiz Art Rosenbaum.