BMI Foundation Awards 10th Annual Woody Guthrie Fellowship
BMI Foundation President Deirdre Chadwick, Woody Guthrie Center Executive Director Deana McCloud, and Woody Guthrie Foundation President Nora Guthrie have announced Christy Miller and Gustavus Stadler as the winners of the tenth annual Woody Guthrie Fellowship, a research program for scholars pursuing topics or themes related to the life and legacy of American folk music progenitor Woody Guthrie.
The BMI Foundation, in cooperation with the Woody Guthrie Center, annually awards up to $5,000 for scholarly research at the extensive Woody Guthrie Archives, a paper-based research repository located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since 2005, the program has funded a variety of extensive research projects culminating in books, essays, lectures, curricula, public performances, artwork, and other classroom materials that illustrate Guthrie’s lasting cultural impact.
“Alongside our commitment to supporting new voices, the BMI Foundation works to preserve the rich musical heritage of our country,” said Chadwick. “We are proud to partner with the Woody Guthrie Center to offer this singular opportunity for in-depth investigation into the life and work of one of the most influential songwriters in American history. ”
Christy Miller
Christy Miller is a doctoral candidate in musicology at the University of Kansas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Oxbridge music from William Jewell College, as well as a M.M. in musicology from the University of Kansas. She specializes in American folk music and is particularly interested in the repertoire from the Great Depression through the American Folk Revival of the 1960s. The Fellowship will support research for her dissertation, which examines the use of American ballad opera on BBC radio during the Second World War (in which Woody Guthrie played a significant role). During her free moments, Christy enjoys spending time in the yard, in her kitchen, and with her family.
Gustavus Stadler
Gustavus Stadler teaches English and American Studies at Haverford College. The Fellowship will support archival research for his book-in-progress, Woody Guthrie and the Intimate Life of the Left, which explores Guthrie’s understanding of the body, illness, and sexuality in the context of the history of the American left. He has given talks on Guthrie at the annual meeting of the American Studies Association, the Society for the Humanities at Cornell University, the International Association for the Study of Popular Music-US conference, and the Woody Guthrie Centennial Conference at Penn State, among other venues.
About the Woody Guthrie Archives
The Woody Guthrie Archives, housed within the Woody Guthrie Center, are an international research destination. The collection was purchased in 2011 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and moved to Tulsa from New York in 2013. This is the largest collection of Woody Guthrie primary resource materials in the world. The collection contains handwritten notebooks, correspondence, creative writing, drawings, paintings, lyrics, photographs and media produced by Woody Guthrie. Along with the personal papers of Woody Guthrie, the Archives also include several special collections, a rare book collection, and a reference collection. For more information visit the Woody Guthrie Center website.
About the BMI Foundation
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation may be made on our website. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Twitter and like “BMI Foundation” on Facebook.