Bergen Community College and The Bergen Institute for the Creative Arts present The Song Catchers, an evening of folk music, American history, theatre, food, and photography honoring the visual and performing artists and song collectors of the Great Depression.
During this time period, these “songcatchers” and photographers were supported by programs initiated during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, endeavoring the capture the creative spirit and artistic expressions of the “common folk.” The theatrical presentation is produced by Prof. Jim Bumgarder, created and written by Dr. Andy Krikun, Prof. John La Barbera, and Dr. Jorge Arevalo Mateus, with special musical guests Prof. Tim Blunk, Dr. Leigh Jonaitis, Dr. Paul Lee. The photography exhibit in the lobby was curated by Gallery Bergen director Prof. Tim Blunk.
Through a generous grant from the Puffin Foundation, the Songcatchers team is currently working on promotional material including podcast episodes, video excerpts, and an electronic press kit in order to solicit live performances in schools, library, and other performing arts venues. Video excerpts from the November 2022 performances can be found here:
The Songcatchers at Bergen Community College