Despite his bleak prognosis that the current global political climate is a threat to an enlightened world, Bill Ivey — educator, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and arts administrator — sees salvation in our folkloric past in his recent book, Rebuilding an Enlightened World: Folklorizing America. The former director of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, and one of the founders of Vanderbilt University’s Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy (and those are just a few of the things he has done) is well-positioned to explore how folklore offers a way to build a better future by helping us understand the customs, norms and traditional practices that shape all human behavior. This sounds like dense reading, but given Ivey’s experience at the crossroads of art, commerce, education and politics, he’s bound to pave the way toward a fascinating discussion on where to go from here. GALYN GLICK MARTIN
Author Event with Billy Ivey
