Henry Glassie (b.1941) is an American folklorist, historian, and author known for his contributions to material culture, vernacular architecture, and folk traditions. His fieldwork spans five continents, documenting folk art, storytelling, and craftsmanship.
Glassie earned a B.A. from Tulane University (1964,) an M.A. from the Cooperstown Graduate Program (1965,) and a PhD in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania (1969.) He served as Pennsylvania’s State Folklorist before joining Indiana University’s Folklore Institute (1970–2008,) where he became College Professor Emeritus.
His influential books explore folk traditions, architecture, and cultural identity, including Pattern in the Material Folk Culture of the Eastern United States (1968,) Folk Housing in Middle Virginia: A Structural Analysis of Historic Artifacts (1976,) Passing the Time in Ballymenone (1982,) The Spirit of Folk Art (1989,) Turkish Traditional Art Today (1993,) Material Culture (1999,) and Vernacular Architecture (2000.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Henry Glassie
All art is an individual’s expression of a culture. Cultures differ, so art looks different.
—Henry Glassie
Topics: Art
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