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New Mini-Documentary Explores the Life and Legacy of Jan Davidson, Longest-Serving Folk School Director
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A new mini-documentary offers an intimate, retrospective look into the life and quarter-century tenure of Jan Davidson, the longest-serving director of Brasstown’s John C. Campbell Folk School.
“I’ve had so many adventures,” Davidson says in the film. “I don’t think anybody at the Folk School is aware of the previous life I had.”
Born and raised in downtown Murphy, the documentary highlights how Davidson’s colorful upbringing—from learning the banjo, working at a local radio station, and performing in coffee houses and interactive theater—shaped his lifelong dedication to Appalachian music, history, and community culture.
Brasstown filmmaker Harrison Keely shot and edited the documentary.
“Jan Davidson is one of the most significant modern folklorists in America,” Keely said. “Due largely to his achievements, today John C. Campbell is the largest and most successful folk school in the nation.”
In the movie, Davidson discusses co-creating and performing in the hit off-Broadway musical “Diamond Studs,” working for U.S. Senator Robert Morgan on Capitol Hill, and becoming director of the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.
Davidson was named director of the Folk School in 1992. Under his leadership, the institution expanded to a year-round schedule, enrollment soared from 2,500 to 6,000 students, and the number of classes offered annually surged from 150 to more than 850. Seven new studios were constructed during his 25-year tenure, along with new student housing. The Folk School is celebrating its 100th year this year.
Davidson served on the North Carolina Arts Council and, in 2007, he received the state’s highest civilian honor – the North Carolina Award.
The film is the latest in Keely’s ongoing series highlighting remarkable people in Western North Carolina and beyond. Previous mini-documentaries have featured subjects such as physician Brian Mitchell, magician Carl Dreher, auctioneer Tim Ryan, brain aneurysm survivor Makenna Cook, dance choreographer Bob Dalsemer, sheep shearer Charlotte Crittenden, theatre director Laurel Adams, and educator George Ramsey.
Watch the entire documentary below:
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