C. Kurt Dewhurst

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C. Kurt Dewhurst (born 1948)[ citation needed ] is an award-winning American curator and folklorist.

Contents

Dewhurst is Director for Arts and Cultural Partnerships at Michigan State University (MSU) and also a Senior Fellow in University Outreach and Engagement. At MSU, he is also Director Emeritus of the Michigan State University Museum and a Professor of English and Museum Studies. [1]

Early life and education

Dewhurst was born Passaic, New Jersey. [2]

Dewhurst attended Michigan State University where he graduated with a B.A. in 1970 and an M.A. in 1973. He received his doctorate from the same institution in 1983, from the Department of English and American Studies. [3] His Ph.D. thesis was titled 'The folk pottery-making tradition of Grand Ledge, Michigan : a material folk culture study'. [4]

Career

Dewhurst has been involved with Michigan State University Museum since the 1970s: working as a curator there from 1976 before becoming Director in 1982.[ citation needed ]

Dewhurst has authored or co-authored numerous books, articles, and exhibition catalogues. He has also curated over 60 exhibitions and festival programs. His research interests include folk arts, material culture, cultural economic development, and cultural heritage policy. [5]

He has frequently collaborated on projects with his wife Marsha MacDowell, who is a Professor of Art History at MSU. [6] [7]

Recognition

Dewhurst served as President of the American Folklore Society (AFS) between 2010 and 2011. [8] His 2011 Presidential Address was titled, "Folklife and Museum Practice: An Intertwined History and Emerging Convergences". [9] In 2011 he was elected a Fellow of the AFS. In 2004 he was jointly awarded the AFS's Américo Paredes Prize for "integrating scholarship and engagement with the people and communities". [10]

Dewhurst has chaired a number of cultural organisations and associations including the board of trustees for the American Folklife Center; [11] the Advisory Council of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage [12] and the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs. [13]

He is an advisor to three cultural heritage projects in South Africa: the Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha; the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation in Johannesburg and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town. [14]

Dewhurst received a Fulbright Grant to work in Thailand with the National Culture Commission of Thailand. He has also participated in the French-American Foundation Arts Administrators Exchange Program in France. [15]

In 2004, the Great Lakes Folk Festival - begun by Dewhurst and MacDowell in 1987 - was recognized as "one of the most outstanding projects" over the 30-year history of the Michigan Humanities Council. [16]

In 2018 Dewhurst and Marsha MacDowell were jointly awarded the MSU Charles Gliozzo Award for International Diplomacy. [17]

He is a key member of the US-Africa Cultural Heritage Strategic Partnership, which is focused on "preserving ...and making accessible the heritage of Africa's many cultures" [18] and also the US/China Folklife and Intangible Cultural Heritage Partnership project. [19] [20]

Selected exhibitions

Dewhurst has curated numerous exhibitions and festival programs including:

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "C. Kurt Dewhurst – MSU Museum" . Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  2. ↑ Dewhurst, C. Kurt; MacDowell, Betty; MacDowell, Marsha; Art, Museum of American Folk (1983). Religious Folk Art in America: Reflections of Faith. Penguin Group USA, Incorporated. ISBN   978-0-525-93300-7.
  3. ↑ ExpertFile. "Kurt Dewhurst Director, Curator, and Professor - Expert with Michigan State University | ExpertFile". expertfile.com. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  4. ↑ Dewhurst, C. Kurt (1983). The folk pottery-making tradition of Grand Ledge, Michigan: a material folk culture study. OCLC   931741828.
  5. ↑ "Dewhurst – Oral History in the Digital Age" . Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  6. ↑ Hughes, Mike. "Great Lakes Folk Festival delivers awesome variety". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  7. ↑ "Marsha MacDowell". Department of Art, Art History, and Design. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  8. ↑ "Past AFS Presidents". The American Folklore Society. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  9. ↑ Dewhurst, C. Kurt (2014-07-01). "Folklife and Museum Practice: An Intertwined History and Emerging Convergences". Journal of American Folklore. 127 (505): 247–263. doi:10.5406/jamerfolk.127.505.0247. ISSN   0021-8715.
  10. ↑ "Américo Paredes Prize". The American Folklore Society. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  11. ↑ "Board of Trustees (American Folklife Center, Library of Congress)". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  12. ↑ Dewhurst, C. Kurt; Hall, Patricia; Seemann, Charlie (2016-12-15). Folklife and Museums: Twenty-First Century Perspectives. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-4422-7293-4.
  13. ↑ "Imagining Michigan: Participants". ns.umich.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  14. ↑ "Events - CONVERSATION ON FESTIVALS IN SOUTH AFRICA..." www.sun.ac.za. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  15. ↑ "Charles Dewhurst - MSU Scholars". scholars.msu.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  16. ↑ Engagement, University Outreach and. "Great Lakes Folk Festival". The Engaged Scholar Magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  17. ↑ "2018 International Awards Ceremony Recipients". www.isp.msu.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  18. ↑ Technology, University Outreach and Engagement-Communication and Information. "US-Africa Cultural Heritage Strategic Partnership". US-Africa Cultural Heritage Strategic Partnership. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  19. ↑ Technology, University Outreach and Engagement-Communication and Information. "U.S./China Museums and Intangible Heritage Project". U.S./China Museums and Intangible Heritage Project. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  20. ↑ "China-US Folklore and Intangible Cultural Heritage Project". The American Folklore Society. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  21. ↑ "To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions". Stauth Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  22. ↑ "Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basket Traditions". Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  23. ↑ "Dear Mr. Mandela, Dear Mrs. Parks: Children's Letters, Global Lessons – MSU Museum" . Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  24. ↑ "Ahmed "Kathy" Kathrada: A South African Activist for Non-Racialism & Democracy – MSU Museum" . Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  25. ↑ "Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives new exhibit". MSUToday | Michigan State University. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  26. ↑ "Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai'i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala". mauiarts.org. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
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