Documentaries

David Ludwik Rapkievian is a master instrument maker, musician, and folk dancer, who works in the Russian, Polish and Armenian traditions. As an instrument maker, David crafts violins in his Washington Grove, MD workshop (http://fineviolinsbydavid.com). While growing up  in Detroit, David discovered a love of music through his Polish grandfather who repaired musical instruments. Through Detroit’s immigrant community he became exposed to Russian folk music and built his first balalaika based on photos. Over time he perfected his technique as a builder and a musician, eventually becoming on of the most accomplished balalaika players in the United States. Eventually, David led his own ensemble at the famous Russian Tea Room in New York.  He also played with Russian Carnival at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He also had a brief career as a dancer with the New York City Ballet. This film is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org).

Generational supporter of African American community and culture, the Arch Social Club of Baltimore City received a Maryland Heritage Award in the category of place in 2019.

Curtis' Coney Island Famous Weiners has been a fixture in downtown Cumberland, Maryland for more than a century. This video features owner Gino Giatras and celebrates the unique place Curtis' holds in the fabric of this transitioning rural community. In 2018, Curtis’ was recognized with a Maryland Traditions heritage award in the category of Place. This video has been selected for screening at the 2019 Ethnografilm Festival in Paris.

The BAIC has stood the test of time in Upper Fells Point. Originally founded in 1968 as the American Indian Study Center, it once primarily served as a resettlement resource for Indians who had migrated to the city seeking employment. The BAIC now functions as a cultural magnet that draws this dispersed community back in. Offering weekly culture classes, annual pow wows, a full-fledged community museum, a multipurpose meeting space and more, the BAIC continuously sustains the living cultural traditions of American Indians and Alaskan Natives of the Baltimore region. This video was produced for the 2017 Maryland Traditions Heritage awards at which the Baltimore American Indian Center (BAIC) received the award in the category of place.

Mini-documentary about a partnership that results in the salvage and re-use of urban wood from deconstructed rowhomes in Baltimore, focusing on the ways that this project/partnership diverts waste, creates jobs and economic value, and improves lives. This is set into the larger context of how the FS works in urban areas to improve lives.

James Hamlin is the founder of the Avenue Bakery on Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore. James is leading an effort to create an arts and entertainment center on the site of the historic Royal Theater. In the fall of 2016 James visited UMBC's television studio to talk with students in MCS television production and graduate students in the Language, Literacy and Culture program about the project. This video is based on the interview conducted by students during his visit.

Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (Baltimore City) is an important hub for the Greek community of the Baltimore region through its religious services, the Greek Independence Day Parade, and its Greek Folk Festival, the largest in Maryland. In 2015, Saint Nicholas received the Maryland Traditions ALTA Award in the category of Place.

J. Gruber's Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack , or The Almanack, is the oldest almanac in the United States that is still produced by heirs of the original founder, John Gruber. Established in Hagerstown (Washington County), it has been providing agricultural, meteorological and astrological information for the Mid-Atlantic region since 1797. At its core is the tradition of forecasting next year's weather, down to the very day, by using centuries-old astrological calculations. This film was produced by Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of On December 1st, 2012, Maryland Traditions honored the J. Gruber's Hagers-town Town and Country Almanack with an Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts (ALTA) Award in the category of Tradition.

The Accohannock Indian Tribe is one of the oldest historical tribes in Maryland. Maryland State Art Council's Maryland Traditions 2014 ALTA AWARED winner for Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts of Outstanding Places, Peoples, and Traditions.

Wallace M. Yater of Boonsboro, Maryland, is a master blacksmith and founder of the Blacksmith Guild of Western Maryland. Wallace was awarded the 2013 Maryland Traditions Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts Award for his outstanding contributions to the living tradition of blacksmithing. The film was produced by Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, and the New Media Studio at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. For more information, please visit: http://www.msac.org or http://nms.umbc.edu/