June: A Texas Story Still Being Told
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S DESK
June: A Texas Story Still Being Told
As the sun begins to settle into a summer rhythm, June arrives on the heels of a Big Squeeze!
This past Saturday (May 30th), Texas Folklife celebrated another remarkable Big Squeeze Finals. It was an event that affirmed what we have long known: the future of Texas traditional music is bright, vibrant, and already taking shape in the hands of young musicians across our state. From the first performance to the final bow, the audience witnessed extraordinary displays of talent, dedication, and cultural and regional pride. These young accordionists did more than perform music — they carried forward traditions rooted in family, community, and heritage.
The evening culminated in a captivating performance by Sean Ardoin, whose electrifying blend of Zydeco tradition and contemporary artistry reminded us that folk and traditional arts thrive when they honor the past while embracing the future. His performance brought generations together and underscored the power of music to connect communities across cultural boundaries.
The excitement of the evening also marked the beginning of our next chapter. We proudly launched Big Squeeze 2027: Pass It On – The Future Sounds Like This, a campaign that will help ensure the continued growth of one of Texas Folklife’s signature programs. At its heart, Pass It On – The Future Sounds Like This, is about more than funding a competition. It is about ensuring the knowledge, artistry, and cultural traditions entrusted to one generation find their way into the hands of the next.
The concept of “passing it on” makes me think about inheritance — not the kind of inheritance measured in dollars and cents, but the kind that shapes who we are as Texans. I have come to believe that the most important archives in our state are not always housed in climate-controlled buildings. They reside in people. They live in stories passed across generations, in recipes preserved, in songs remembered, and in traditions that bring communities together. History, at its best, is not merely a record of what happened. It is an inheritance. As summer settles across Texas, that inheritance feels especially present in June.
This month carries one of the most profound anniversaries in Texas history. On June 19, 1865, two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom. What is now celebrated as Juneteenth stands as a testament not only to freedom but to the power of cultural memory. Long before official recognition, Black Texans preserved this history through gatherings, foodways, music, storytelling, worship, and celebration. They transformed memory into tradition and tradition into legacy.
As Texans, we inherit a cultural landscape shaped by Indigenous peoples, Mexican communities, African Americans, immigrants, ranchers, farmers, artists, musicians, and storytellers whose lives have left their imprint on this place. Our history is neither singular nor simple. It is mosaicked and beautifully constructed.
This month, Texas Folklife is honored to participate in several gatherings that embody the spirit of living tradition and beautiful construction. We are delighted to return to Nacogdoches for the Texas Blueberry Festival. Established in 1990 to celebrate the region’s blueberry growers and agricultural heritage, the festival has grown into one of the state’s most beloved community celebrations.
For more than three decades, it has brought together residents and visitors through food, music, storytelling, crafts, and community fellowship. Like all great Texas festivals, it reminds us that culture is not something we observe from a distance, it is something we experience together. So, if you’re in the area, come jam with us at the Texas Folklife Blueberry Jam! We’ll also have blueberry and blueberry-jalapeno jam, provided by one of our East Texas Foodways artisans, for purchase. All purchases will support our Music on Main pop-ups in 2027.
We are also proud to participate in the International Farmers and Ranchers Summit. Long before Texas became known for large cities and vast industries, it was shaped by knowledge and labor of those who worked the land. Farmers and Ranchers remain among our state’s most important culture bearers who carry generations of wisdom about land stewardship and sustainability. Their stories help us better understand the past while offering guidance for the future.
Our commitment to the future of the next generation continues to be demonstrated through our weekly folk and traditional arts classes at Voice of Hope’s summer camp. Throughout the summer, the Voice of Hope campers will learn “Handed Down” traditional arts from culture keepers and tradition bearers who are valued and honored by the entire Texas Folklife team. These experiences introduce youth to the richness of Texas cultures while helping them understand that they, too, are part of an ongoing story. Tradition survives because it is shared.
STILL READING?
At Texas Folklife, we believe culture is not confined to museums or archives. It lives wherever people gather to create meaning. It is the meaning in the rhythm of an accordion, in the hands of a craftsperson, around a family table, at a community festival, or in the stories exchanged beneath a shade tree on a summer afternoon.
As you move through June, I invite you to celebrate Texas Folklife wherever you encounter it, and us. Attend a Juneteenth celebration. Visit a local festival. Learn a family recipe. Listen to an elder’s story. Support local artists and musicians. Spend time with the traditions that make a community unique. Slow down to read our newsletter. These acts may seem small, but together they sustain the cultural fabric of our state. If you are looking for ways to support this work, I invite you to join us:
For a summer season gift of $500, you can support a summer camper who will participate in our folk and traditional arts programming and take part in AMAZING field trips that explore arts and culture, broadly. This helps ensure that the next generation has access to transformative cultural experiences.
Quote I’m Pondering: ” The universal food of the people of Texas, both rich and poor, seems to be the corn-dodger and fried bacon.” – Frederick Law Olmstead (A Journey Through Texas – 1856)
Book I’m Reading: Tales of Texas Cooking: Stories and Recipes from the Trans-Pecos to the Piney Woods and High Plains to the Gulf Prairies edited by Frances Brannen Vick
On Repeat: Celebration by Kool & The Gang
Admired Arts & Artist Incubator: Forney Art House
With Gratitude,
Elisha R. Oliver, PhD
Executive Director
